


Snt:Shattered Dimensions

by Kanakarogoh



Category: Courtney(ProjectSNT), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Battle, Conflict, Fan Characters, Gen, Humor, Light Angst, Manipulation, Minor Canonical Character(s), Multiverse, Original Character(s), Parody, Reality Bending, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2020-10-25 01:08:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20715575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kanakarogoh/pseuds/Kanakarogoh
Summary: Beings from across the multiverse have been kidnapped from their worlds, trapped on a planet run by a tyrannical ruler. Join SNT, a “special” hybrid, as she embarks on a journey to return everybody to their respective universe.





	1. Prologue

"A parallel universe, also known as a parallel dimension, alternate universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained plane of existence, co-existing with one's own. The sum of all potential parallel universes that constitute reality is often called a multiverse."

In one such universe:

A crimson hedgehog with golden eyes and purple pupils appeared in a dark void. He wore white gloves with black wristbands along with black shoes with a golden crescent in the middle. His body had recoiled from a life-threatening attack that he barely managed to escape, much to his surprise. 

"What? I'm still alive? Those emeralds prove more useful than I thought. Damn! I suppose I'll just have to try to destroy the earth again." He claimed with a sinister grin. Just then a verdant aura took over his body and restricted movement.

"What is this?" The Crimson hedgehog gasped, he felt a powerful force attempt to pull him in. A bright light shines in the distance, it's aura being something the hedgehog recognized. The light radiated from a white hedgehog with red stripes on his quills along with shoes of the same color. The being looked down upon the red hedgehog with a smug grin on his face. Hatred filled the golden eyes of the crimson hedgehog, believing that this foreign power somehow came from this entity. Seven clear emeralds surrounded the white hedgehog, his fingertips sparked a tiny viridian glow as he beckoned his opponent.

"What are you doing?!" The crimson hedgehog asked, a sharp pain entered his body as he could feel a large portion of his power being ripped out of his being. His power was placed within the emeralds, granting them color and life. With an even bigger grin, the white hedgehog absorbed the seven gems and gained unfathomable power. He glowed like a white dwarf star, covering his body from head to toe with a heavenly aura. 

"No, no! I will not let this happen!" The crimson hedgehog snarled in denial; this isn't how it's supposed to go! The glowing hedgehog's grin grew even bigger which only intensified the crimson hedgehog's hatred. A purplish ball of energy formed within his hand.

"I've had enough of-" He shouted. The white hedgehog appeared before him with his hand on the crimson's forehead. A white light enveloped the hedgehog's body as his hellish fur died down to a plain white.

"No, you can't be doing this!" He claimed in pure disbelief. A white pulse came from the glowing hedgehog's hand as he was ready to finish him. However, the once crimson hedgehog no longer possessed the power to resist the foreign force. The verdant aura grew and eventually devoured the defeated hedgehog. Leaving his adversary none the wiser. 

In a universe plagued with war:

An orange echidna dawned in black armor spectated a legendary battle between a golden hedgehog and a megalomaniacal echidna with gray fur and bright blue eyes. The ground shook like an earthquake whenever they collide, if one wasn't careful then this entire planet would be destroyed. The echidna was so engrossed in this battle that she didn't notice the green blob of energy wrap itself around her body. The echidna gasped in shock, she couldn't let anything interfere with the golden hedgehog's battle. Quickly, she stretched out her arms and pulled out two purple energy blades. With a grunt, the echidna slashed at the energy, which allowed the strange substance to latch itself onto her arm. The energy spread itself like a virus, until it eventually engulfed her body.

In a bleak universe:

Charred bodies filled a hellish landscape, fire brewed from every corner as all forms of life wilted and died. The only survivor was a wounded yellow fox. The fox looked up at the person responsible, a person he used to call a friend.

"Why Knuckles? Why did you do this?" He asked. A lone echidna stood before him, his gloves were black and scorched with flames. His sneakers were both gold and orange as his fur was a dark red. The echidna's golden eyes looked down upon his foe.

"Hmph, you never listen, do you?" Knuckles growled. He raised his arm in a fiery fury, malice took form in his eyes as he went for the kill.

"It's Flaming Knuckles!" The echidna announced. The fox quickly closed his eyes with a whimper, his fate sealed. Suddenly, a verdant glow enveloped the echidna's body and absorbed him in a matter of seconds. The fox opened his eyes, confused about what had happened.

_ ** SNT: Shattered Dimensions ** _

A fan fiction written to celebrate SEGA, Courtney(ProjectSNT) and the fanbase

**Prologue:**

In a _Special_ Universe:

Wind brushed against the verdant tree leaves of a dense jungle inhabited by multiple animals and insects. This place contained large mushrooms and vines which traversed an endless sea of trees like a makeshift pathway. At a glance, this place appeared to be blessed with peace and quiet. In reality, this area served as the eternal battlefield for the war between good and evil. Countless times have evil attempted to corrupt this beautiful land, only for its guardians to show themselves and thwart their nefarious schemes. Tyrannical scientists, Biological weapons and even gods themselves fell to these guardians as they always managed to pull through in the end.

Once again, this mystic jungle goes through a crisis, one that its inhabitants had never experienced before. The very earth itself cracked open as a hellish glow flooded the area. A collective howl filled the sky as large vicious beasts clawed their ways from the depths. They all had grizzled black fur along with claws and fangs, some however flew out of their imprisonment with monstrous bat-like wings. All of the jungle's inhabitants stopped their mindless routine as the sound of impending danger roared across the land. These monsters were fast, capable of reaching the inhabitants in a matter of seconds. One unlucky blue bird attempted to flee from a monster's grasp, but was too young to gain any significant distance. The bird closed its eyes as the monster lunged towards it when suddenly, a blue blur kicked the invasive predator back. The small bird opened its eyes and watched as its savior bashed through a pack of these monsters. Another horde attempted to pounce their attacker, but the blue blur was simply too fast. Finally, the speedster jumped a good distance away and revealed its visage. The guardian of this land was a blue hedgehog with bulky white gloves and red shoes with a white stripe and gold buckle.

The pack of monsters bellowed an ungodly roar, their opponent being none other than Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic smirked before he dashed towards them, the wind encircled his body like a natural cone of energy. The creatures could do nothing as the hedgehog displayed his iconic speed and boosted through the pack like a bowling ball. Countless flying monsters took notice of the hedgehog that effortlessly destroyed their brethren. Anger surged into a deafening roar as they lit fire from their palms and collectively blasted them at their foe. Sonic's smile didn't budge, for he casually side-stepped each and every fireball launched at him. 

The supersonic hedgehog leapt into the air and curled into a ball of sharp quills. With a dash, he tore through one of the flying abominations and kicked another that approached him. A blue streak covered his path as he consistently homing attacked these monsters as they mindlessly approached him. More and more monsters flew after him until sonic eventually found himself atop of a spiral of abominations. The sound of sucked teeth drowned to their countless roars, as Sonic quickly realized that he couldn't keep this up. The blue blur decided to change his strategy, for he released his ball form and drop kicked one that diverted from the pack. The two descended quickly but not fast enough, Sonic grunted in shock as one managed to tackle him off of his ride. The blue guardian held the creature back as it persistently attempted to bite him. Sonic gritted his teeth, but kicked the monster away as dozens upon dozens more rained hellfire on the hedgehog.

"Uh oh." Sonic yelped before defending himself. His arms burned with each blast that connected, the ground behind him coming closer and closer. The creatures surrounded him as he was helpless against their onslaught. Just then a light blue streak descended towards the fallen hedgehog and grabbed him by the hand. Sonic felt the wind brush past him as a sound similar to helicopter propellers filled his ears. With an upward glance, Sonic realized that his savior was a particularly strange creature. She was a light blue hedgehog, one that had two fluffy white-tipped fox tails and the body of an echidna. The strange creature wore a pink tank top, skirted swim shorts and pink high ankle shoes with a vertical white line through the middle.

"SNT!" Sonic shouted in shock. A smile formed on the creature's face as her emerald-green eyes looked down to her friend.

"Thought you could use some help, Sonic!" She claimed with a soft voice. Sonic's cheeks suddenly flushed a vibrant red before he quickly looked away. A soft chuckle left his mouth as a strange feeling came over him.

"Guys stop playing around, there's work to be done!" A young voice spoke through both guardians' earpieces. Sonic snapped out of his sudden daze as he realized that the pack of airborne abominations still chased after them. The sight made the hedgehog grin in anticipation, SNT although frowned at the visual promise of violence.

"Heh, You ready SNT?" Sonic asked. SNT looked at sonic with a cocky grin.

"Do you even need to ask?" She chuckled. Sonic curled into a ball as SNT swung him around a bit, she then threw the hedgehog ball at the horde. The momentum turned Sonic into a living death ball as he dashed through the enemy, he then kicked one away and landed on another. Sonic used his spin dash to launch himself towards a trio. Some of the creatures approached SNT whom took a battle stance. SNT kicked one away and grabbed another by their wings to throw it against another beast. Two more shot fire which SNT avoided, she then used her tails to reflect an incoming blast back at the enemy. The fireball collided with the airborne monstrosity and caused it to explode. The force of the explosion shoved the last creature off-balance, SNT took that opportunity to curl into a ball and spin dashed into it at full force. SNT then used the fallen monster as a footstool, so that she could jump into the air and fly. With all of her foes beaten, SNT flew towards Sonic. The blue blur bounced off each creature as they tried to claw at him, unlike SNT sonic couldn't fly so he was at a disadvantage here but this didn't bother him. Sonic found this entire situation to be one of the most thrilling things in his life, one that he wouldn't forget anytime soon.

"Sonic!" SNT shouted. Sonic glanced at SNT and smirked.

"Sorry guys, but the party's over!" Sonic said as he pulled out a blue chaos emerald. The emerald's energy surged through Sonic's body as he grew a light blue aura. Sonic used this power to create a sonic boom so powerful that it blew all the monsters away. SNT flew as fast as she could as Sonic began to fall. The two guardians stretched both of their hands towards each other, eventually grasping one another. SNT slowed Sonic's descent as all the monsters fell hard into the ground.

"Now that was tight!" Sonic cheered. SNT chuckled at her friend's enthusiasm, he always knew how to get people pumped. The two lightly landed on the ground and high-fived. The voice in their earpiece also celebrated their victory.

"Good job guys! You got rid of those monsters really easily!" It claimed.

"Thanks Tails, we couldn't have done it without you!" SNT claimed. Sonic chuckled at SNT's words but gave her a thumbs up.

"Oh yeah, we wouldn't even know where to go without you." He chimed. Tails laughed awkwardly; modesty prevented him from taking any credit.

"Aw, I didn't really do much." He chuckled. SNT looked at the monsters as they screamed in agony, they're bodies melted into the earth never to be seen again. Obviously, this wasn't normal. A single question started to enter the light blue guardian's mind, one that she needed an answer to immediately.

"Say Sonic, where do you think these things came from?" She asked. Sonic looked at her in confusion, his green eyes widened as a pink aura emitted from SNT's body.

**SPECIAL **

Sonic's cheeks turned a bright red as he couldn't look away from his friend, a strange feeling held his heart tightly.

"I... uh... I uh..." He stuttered in a desperate attempt to answer SNT's question. Sonic looked away for a split second before making a big smile.

"Wh-who cares about that? We beat 'em so I doubt it matters!" He claimed. SNT looked towards the ground, deep in thought about Sonic's words. Something strange was clearly happening, so it was difficult for the guardian to think nothing of it. A foreign warmth enveloped SNT's body as she suddenly found it difficult to breathe. Her eyes swiftly looked toward Sonic whom gave her a weird expression, one trifled with confusion and uncertainty. SNT looked down to her hands only to realize that she was glowing a green aura.

"Sonic?" The confused guardian muttered. Sonic quickly outstretched his hand towards her.

"SNT!" He shouted. Before the fastest thing alive could so much as touch her, the green aura enveloped her body and disappeared. Sonic's eyes shrank in complete disbelief, his friend was gone.

Without a trace.


	2. Knothole Village

SNT—the hybrid of a hedgehog and a two-tailed fox—walks uncomfortably amidst the dried orange field of grass. Couple of trees lined up to her sides like a natural pathway, the sky was dark without a single star present. Icy-cold wind brushed against her fur, making the hybrid shiver as she kept her arms close to her chest. Her legs moved on their own which forced SNT to ponder on one single question.

"What happened?" There wasn't a single animal or person present in this area. It was desolate, empty. The last thing SNT could remember was the deep happiness of fighting alongside her friend. Then suddenly, that happiness being stolen along with the echoed screams of her name. SNT shook her head as she continued to walk forward with no destination in mind. All the hybrid could feel was cold, similar to that of an icy winter.

"You're in danger..." SNT's emerald green eyes widened as a voice vibrated in her ears. She looked behind herself, only to be met with nothing but the path she had already ventured.

"Maybe it's just my imagination," She chuckled. A sudden warmth came over her body, a welcomed one to be sure, but its sudden appearance washed a sense of dread in her mind.

"Run." The disembodied voice echoed. Suddenly, the icy cold wind grew stronger as the trees began to sway. SNT could feel her bangs brush against her forehead as the light began to dim. "You're in danger." the voice repeated. The warmth of the light began to dissipate as the light at the end of the path slowly descended.

"No!" SNT screamed. With a sudden rush of adrenaline, the hybrid launched herself into a sprint. She didn't even take the time to realize that she was in control of her body once more.

"Run," the echoes advised. The sky turned into a bright orange; the trees now burned with a hellish fire. The warmth the hybrid once felt became a burning sensation, but a chill traveled down her spine as she could feel a presence pursue her. SNT didn't understand what was happening, only that now her life was in danger. "Run." the echoes continued. The light almost gone from view, SNT pushed her body beyond its limits to reach towards it. As she got closer and closer, the hybrid noticed the remnants of what seemed to be a village in the distance, the houses burning and the ground littered with ashes. Every fiber of her being begged the hybrid to stop, but she refused. SNT closed her eyes and leapt towards the light.

**Chapter 1:**

**Knothole Village**

"AH!" SNT screamed before awakening in a sea of sweat. Her heart beat loudly as she could still feel the embers singed her fur. She placed her right hand on her head and looked down in a fright._ It... it was just a dream? _ SNT wondered. It wasn't like any dream she had before, the sheer realism and the bizarre changes the world went through, the hybrid couldn't wrap her head around any of it. Her shaken wonderment was interrupted however, as her eyes laid upon a dark blue blanket. SNT pulled the blanket up to see her light blue legs and silky white socks. _ This isn't my bed, _she realized. The hybrid's eyes moved towards her body which was clothed in orange pajamas with an acorn pattern. Confusion flowed through SNT's mind as the sound of birds chirped a peaceful tune in the air. Anxiety soon washed away as SNT noticed the solar rays of the sun which guided her eyes to a beautiful sight. A porch within the outside borders of walls seemingly made of logs stacked on top of each other, beyond that was a crashing waterfall that glistened at the natural light of mother nature. The vibrant green tree leaves swayed peacefully at the slight nod of the wind. It was completely peaceful, something that brought a smile to the hybrid's face.

_ Where am I? _ She wondered. She looked around and noticed that the walls were a bit worn down and chipped at random areas, yet completely stable enough to hold the triangular ceiling. In front of the hybrid stood a dirty brown bureau which was in tip-top condition, on top of it was a gray oil lamp with brown stains splattered at the opening. The left held a wooden door with a golden knob and upon a downward glance, SNT noticed that her pink boots were there and completely clean. It was clear to the hybrid that someone had done all of this, but why? This place resembled that of a tree house, too small and primitive for Tails' house and yet it was more advanced than Sonic's underground base.

SNT's mind quickly shifted to the door as an audible growl was accompanied by a loud slam.

"The nerve of these chaps! What do I look like, some nanny?" It complained.

"Eep! Someone's coming," SNT gasped. This person had a young and irritated voice, one that wouldn't be considered friendly. What was worse was the way the person spoke; it's choice of vernacular was one the hybrid couldn't wrap her head around. Only the words; "I have to hide" rang in her mind as her heart returned to its racing beats. Desperate, she scanned the room once more. The hybrid's eyes glanced at the bureau. _ Perhaps I could hide in there, _ she wondered. SNT quickly shook her head as the bureau was smaller than her entire body. Her verdant eyes then looked towards the porch; the outside world seemed to expand beyond her view-point. _ Perfect! _She thought aloud. Her ears twitched at the sound of the doorknob being turned, she needed to hide now. Desperation fueled the hybrid's body as she made a run for it, and fell flat on her face. 

"What was that?" The outside voice gasped. The wooden door burst open as a young orange raccoon bared witness to SNT's bottom pointed upwards, her fox tails slowly fell like a cape as a single leg twitched.

"Ow," she groaned. Disappointment and embarrassment being the prize of her sudden, 'spectacle.'

"Strewth!" The Raccoon gasped, before moving to check on the hybrid. "Oh crikey, please tell me y'a didn't keel over already," she begged. SNT let out a small groan—pain and embarrassment being the only thing she could feel. The hybrid's eyes met the azure variant of the raccoon. She was small and young; no older than that of a pre-teen. Orange fur covered her body along with brown stripes around both her ears and tail, a white muzzle covered her mouth, tan gloves lay atop her knees which displayed her black leggings, she wore a lime green tube top with a white trim and orange shoes with a lime green vertical stripe in the middle. This girl's blue eyes stared curiously into SNT's; a smile formed on her innocent face. "Blimey you're awake? Took a real doozie there didn't y'a?" She joked. A humiliating flush of red formed on SNT's face, not only did she utterly fail to hide, she failed to hide from a child.

_ This has to be one of the most humiliating moments in my life _, she thought. The young raccoon offered the hybrid a hand.

"The name's Marine, Marine the Raccoon! Fancy to meetcha," She greeted. Marine's tone of voice was now antithesis to the one she had before. SNT sighed as she accepted the offer. At least this 'Marine' didn't seem like an enemy.

"Thank you." SNT said as Marine helped the hybrid to her feet with a curious smile. The young raccoon's eyes scanned SNT, taking note of her strange appearance. She then glanced into SNT's eyes with a perplexed frown.

"Never seen a sheila like yourself before. What's your name?" She asked. SNT stared at Marine with a shocked expression, no one has really commented about her appearance before. Her eyes fell to the wooden floor tiles.

"Sorry," She sighed. Marine raised her brow.

"Oy, what are y'a down in the dumps for? S'a simple question, no?" She asked. SNT's eyes returned to Marine.

"Oh... right!" She spoke. Anxiety grew on her bones like a virus as the hybrid could feel the judgmental glare of the pre-teen. SNT put her right hand on her nape and forcibly laughed. "Right sorry, my name is SNT," She introduced. Marine's glare returned to that of curiosity. "Umm... Sorry. I'm just a bit overwhelmed," SNT explained honestly. With everything she had experienced in the last five minutes, the hybrid couldn't really collect her thoughts.

"Ah, s'right! Y'a new to this 'ere shebang, aren't y'a?" She pointed out.

"Sheba what?" SNT questioned. Marine smiled proudly despite the hybrid's apparent confusion.

"Well, s'a pleasure to meet y'a, Entee." She said. More confusion plagued the hybrid as she processed the name spoken.

"Entee?" She questioned.

"That's your name isn't it?" Marine asked.

"It's SNT," Entee corrected. Marine pouted and placed her hand on her hips.

"That's what I said!" She stubbornly claimed. SNT was taken aback by Marine's tone, it was the same as she was in the beginning.

"But..." SNT started, however she noticed that Marine looked ready to throw a tantrum any minute now. _ This is going nowhere! _ The hybrid thought. With a sigh, she decided to change the subject. "Okay fine, but can you please tell me where I am?" SNT asked. She desperately needed to get at least some type of clarification of her locale. A bright smile formed on Marine's face; excitement clearly evident in her eyes.

"Alright, listen up newcomer." Marine began.

_ Newcomer? What happened to entee? _ SNT wondered. Marine prepped herself up as if she was about to make a speech.

"This place 'ere is called Knothole village; home of the smartest people in all the worlds." Marine claimed with a prideful smile.

"Knothole village?" SNT repeated. She hadn't heard of the place before, then again, she never even thought about exploring the world she was created in. There was much she didn't know, even when it came to her friends.

"Never heard, huh? Well that's to be expected." Marine claimed with a frown. SNT hung her head low.

"Sorry." The hybrid admitted. Her insecurities and anxiety took control of her manners and actions, making SNT feel like she reverted back to her old personality. Marine put her hands on her hips once again, this time however she had a big grin on her face.

"Well if y'a want, I could give you a tour. Help yourself get more comfortable around these parts, y'a know?" She proposed. SNT's eyes moved towards Marine.

"You'd do that for me?" She asked. Marine's grin grew into a toothy smile, one filled with pride and enthusiasm.

"A good captain always keeps 'er word!" She claimed with a snap. Her kindness made SNT sigh in relief, at least she had a guide to help her. The hybrid stood up and smiled brightly.

"Thanks Marine, you're the best!" She claimed. Marine rubbed her nape and chuckled.

"Aw shucks, it ain't nothin," The young raccoon responded. The sheer gratitude was enough to make her blush a little, SNT's innocence reminded her of a friend she knew. "Well go get dressed, I'll wait for y'a outside." She claimed. SNT watched as Marine went outside and closed the door. A sense of relief filled her body as she sat down on her mattress.

"So, Knothole village huh?" SNT spoke to herself. She quickly got up and walked towards the bureau. If her shoes were next to the bed, then surely her clothes should be in here. Sure enough, SNT pulled open the first drawer to see that her pink sleeveless shirt, short skirt and leggings were right there. The hybrid put her clothes on and slipped on her boots. With a small kick to the ground, SNT smiled once again and opened the door.

The smell of soot invaded her nostrils as the smile on SNT's face quickly faded to the expression of sheer terror. Bright colors of orange, yellow and red filled her vision as black dust scattered everywhere. Huts and houses were deteriorating as the flames slowly devoured their infrastructure. Once again, SNT could feel her heart thump wildly as a hand touched her shoulder.

"Entee?" The voice beckoned. SNT looked back and saw a concerned Marine. "Are y'a alright?" She asked. The smell of cinders was now replaced with freshwater, and the orange glow was now a peaceful green. SNT looked back at the village and noticed that it wasn't on fire anymore. The plentiful of brown huts similar to her own now filled her vision, as the grass swayed with the wind.

"The village... is... fine?" SNT muttered under her breath. _ What did I just see? _ She wondered. Nothing seemed to be damaged now, the huts had stone steps that lead towards the center of the village, a place where SNT could've sworn she saw bodies. Marine looked at her with a worried look.

"Entee?" She called once again. SNT looked at Marine with a worried smile.

"Yes, sorry I was just dizzy is all." She lied. Marine hardened her stare but shrugged her shoulders.

"If y'a say so." She accepted. Marine could only hope that SNT would be willing to tell her the truth in time. As for now, the young raccoon grabs the hybrid's arm and pulled her forward. "Come on, let's begin the tour." She claimed.

"Hey, hold on!" SNT gasped. Countless colors splashed into the hybrid's vision; countless green, blue and brown before quickly being dispersed and replaced by a wide assortment of wooden brown. The Hybrid's legs moved in tune with that of the spunky raccoon. In a matter of what felt like seconds, the two entered a room that resembled a cafeteria. A singular row of rectangular desks all formed a straight path across the room with chairs and stools around them, wooden arches lined the ceiling as illuminated lights hung from above. To the right, SNT notices long square holes in the wall that revealed the place where chefs do what they did best. Marine took a step forward.

"This 'ere s'the cafeteria, where our own personal chef makes some of the most ripper food I've ever tasted." She explained. SNT glances into the kitchen counter, but the chef didn't seem present at the moment. _ Do they only have one chef? _ SNT wondered. She looked back at Marine, who seemingly teleported to the ends of the hallway. The raccoon held her arms out to present a fridge. "Sometimes the chef has to leave to restock, so we have snacks and drinks in the fridge!" Sweat formed on SNT's head, completely oblivious to what makes a fridge so _ special _. Marine's enthusiasm didn't end there, she quickly ran towards the table with a strange pattern on it. "But you don't just eat here, you can also ask Nico-"

A door opens from the opposite end of the cafeteria, interrupting Marine's explanation. SNT turns around to see a purple swallow enter. She wore a white bandana along with big yellow glasses, a slim white sleeveless shirt with gloves, black baggy pants and crimson red shoes. The swallow looked annoyed, one that practically screams isolation.

"Oh Wave, didn't expect to see y'a here!" Marine greeted. Wave the Swallow slightly turned her head to see the young raccoon. Her blue eyes softened up a bit, curiosity replaced her annoyance.

"Marine, I could say the same about you. Don't you have a babysitter or something?" She spoke nonchalantly. Anger quickly arose from within Marine.

"Oy, where do you get off treating me like a child?" She shouted. Wave smirked at the response.

"Temper temper, how do you expect to get anything accomplished when you can't even control yourself? It's truly sad really." She antagonized.

_ That's so rude! _ SNT thought. She never met someone more disrespectful in her life. The swallow's eyes turned towards the hybrid, much to her surprise. SNT backed away a bit as anxiety once again latched onto her.

"Umm... hi?" SNT greeted. She felt as though Wave stared right through her. Wave noticed SNT's tails which only perplexed her.

"And what are you supposed to be?" The swallow asked. Once again SNT heard this question, her mind and anxiety collaborated in a fruitless effort to find an answer. She wasn't a fox; she clearly isn't a hedgehog. SNT had no idea what exactly she was. Marine quickly noticed the discomfort this question seemed to have for her friend and jumped forward.

"This 'ere, s'the newcomer Entee. I'm currently giving 'er a tour around the village." She claimed boastfully. A relieved smile formed on SNT's face, one that Wave found suspicious. Clearly, this hybrid had something to hide. Wave smirked.

"Entee the newcomer? Heh, more like Entee the abomination." She insulted. SNT's eyes widened in shock, never has someone poked fun of what she was. Anger burst within her body; she wasn't going to take this lightly.

"Hey! First of all, it's SNT!" She pointed out, ready to give this swallow a piece of her mind. Wave shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

"Whatever. I have more important things to do than babysit children." She claimed. Wave shrugged one last time and walked past the two.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" SNT growled, this person desperately needed an attitude adjustment. Wave ignored her and left the cafeteria. SNT crossed her arms, both stunned and annoyed that she was just pushed to the side. "What's up with her?" She pouted. Marine simply sighed and shook her head.

"Just ignore 'er, she isn't worth the trouble." She claimed. SNT grumbled under her breath, the flames of her rage were strong and difficult to extinguish. The two eventually moved on and continued the tour.

Next, Marine took SNT to a place located to the right of the cafeteria. It had a dozen cabins lined neatly like a cul-de-sac; each individual building seemingly had a name tag on it. Marine outstretched her hand towards the buildings.

"This 'ere, s'the town folks resting place. You can think of it as our own rooms when we don't want to be bothered by anybody." She explained. SNT looked back and noticed that the shack she slept in looked exactly the same. Wooden infrastructure, along with a singular window like a bird house. Marine noticed this and smirked.

"Noticed the similarities, did you? Well Newcomer, that's because the one y'a slept in was for guests or tourists. It was a _ special _request made by none other than Sally Acorn 'erself." She explained confidently.

"Sally Acorn?" SNT questioned. Marine gasped, but quickly remembered SNT's position.

"One of the founders of this land. I'd say that you'd meet her in time but..." She explained, while rubbing the back of her neck. The young raccoon quickly shook her head, "Anyways, let's move on!" She announced. Before SNT realized it, Marine dragged her to another place.

The next place was a rectangular building, about the size of the average house. The building itself looked more city-like with the typical bricks leading up to a brown triangular roof. Below the two was a stone pathway which bled into the center of the village. Orange light gleamed from within the windows along with small sparks of energy.

"What is this place?" SNT asked. It had this aura of passion and enthusiasm that no other locale could ever hope to rival.

"This s'the mechanic workshop, the main attraction of Knothole Village. This place is where we brilliant mechanics and blacksmiths do our magic." Marine explained with a prideful grin. The young raccoon's enthusiasm made SNT smile, she had always enjoyed it when someone showed passion within a subject.

"Really? That's so cool Marine." She complimented, she never truly had something she could be completely passionate about. Instead, SNT liked to just go with the flow. "So Marine, have you made anything here?" She asked; surely someone this passionate would've made something incredible. Marine's eyes lit up like a candle light, she had been waiting for this question to come up.

"Heh, did I?" She chuckled. The raccoon crossed her arms as SNT became curious. "I've been working on this one invention that'll surely knock your socks off!" Marine claimed. Stars replaced SNT's pupils as her mind roamed through the infinite possibilities that the invention could be.

"Really? What is it?" She asked in anticipation. Marine closed her eyes and wagged her finger.

"Patience, matey, I might show it to y'a after the tour," She claimed with a single eye open and a toothy grin. The hybrid frowned in disappointment, but nodded regardless. Marine chuckled at her friend's disappointment, _ at least she's patient unlike a certain hedgehog I know. _

With the promise made, Marine walked toward the door as SNT followed suit. She turned the knob slightly before pushing the door open. Bells greeted the shop's visitors as SNT noticed the innumerous displays of tools hung to the walls like a prop. Orange light beamed down from above as the air conditioners cooled the room down. While cold, SNT smiled at the contrast of her dream. Across from the two laid a white counter which stretched across the room. A door stood behind even that, as a single camera observed the two at a distance.

_ Heh, Tails would've loved this place, _ SNT reminisced. The little fox boy was like a little brother to her; innocent, full of potential. A saddened smile formed on the hybrid's face as she thought about her friends. She'll definitely tell everyone about this place when she returns home. Marine looked at SNT with a curious expression, _ what's going on in her head, _she wondered.

The sound of footsteps stole the two's focus. It sounded like someone was musically tapping their foot against the floor.

"Who's there~?" A soft-hearted voice chimed. SNT's hedgehog ears perked up, a sudden sense of familiarity washed over her. The door from behind the counter slowly opened, followed by the presence of a blonde hedgehog with sapphire eyes; she had flowing waist-length blonde hair with a blue hair band, a light blue surgery suit was dawned on her body. The sense of familiarity increased tenfold for the hybrid as she stared continuously at the blonde hedgehog.

"Maria?" SNT gasped.

"SNT?" Maria did the same. Flashbacks of an intense time filled with peril and anarchy flowed within their minds.

"Long time no see, right?" SNT chuckled solemnly. Maria smiled warmly at her old acquaintance; a familiar face was welcomed in a time like this.

"Right," she agreed. Marine eyed the two in confusion, the mood had suddenly changed into one of solace and she didn't like that one bit.

"Hang on, you lot know each other?" She asked. SNT turned towards the young raccoon and nodded.

"Yeah, it's kind of a long story." She claimed. Marine placed her hands on her hips, curiosity took hold of her. SNT however, looked back towards Maria, "Wait, but if you're here then where's Rookie?" She asked. Rookie was a crimson wolf that SNT had an adventure with in the past, it's been awhile since she's seen him. Maria however, shook her head.

"Sorry, but I haven't seen Rookie since the war," she answered. A disappointed sigh left SNT's lips, her head hung low—she had hoped to find someone close to her. Maria was a familiar face sure, but SNT didn't really have a connection with her.

"War?" Marine echoed in shock. Maria had never told her about a war, or even the fact that she was a veteran. Maria paid Marine no mind, she instead focused all of her attention on SNT. The hybrid looked down, with no idea where she was or how she could get home. Maria understood this feeling all too well—she too had also been on a blind journey for a home, for family. A wave of nostalgia flowed within the blonde hedgehog as she gave SNT a warm smile. 

"Don't worry SNT, Rookie is his own person. I'm sure he will show up when you need him most." She explained.

"Are you two ignoring me?" Marine asked. SNT looked into Maria's eyes, through there she could see the kind of effort she was taking to comfort her. The hybrid smiled solemnly at the blonde hedgehog; the mere attempt was enough to raise her spirits.

"I'm okay Maria, but thanks." She said. Maria kept her smile, hoping that her words did something to help.

Marine put her hands on her hips and glared at the two "acquaintances." _ I'm actually being ignored right now, _she thought. The sheer shock and annoyance of this form of ostracization made the young raccoon feel even more disrespected.

A young and raspy voice suddenly calls out from behind the workshop; Its tone was strangely familiar to SNT. "Hey Maria, could you help me out with this 'Metarex technology?'" The voice asked. Maria poked her head through the backroom door. 

"Sure, just give me a minute," she answered. Maria looked back at both SNT and Marine..."Sorry guys, but I'm kind of busy at the moment. Let's continue our conversation at lunch soon, okay?" She suggested.

_ Oh, now I exist? _ Marine growled in her head. SNT nodded.

"Yeah, I'd like that." She said. Maria waved goodbye before leaving. Marine on the other hand crossed her arms in a pouty manner.

"I get no respect, I swear." She complained. SNT's smile switched back into a frown, the lack of familiar faces slowly got to her. While Maria softened the blow, the hybrid couldn't help but wish that she could see her friends again. Marine noticed the saddened mood of the hybrid. That wasn't good, her entire tour could be ruined if there was a sour puss on board. The young raccoon put her hand on SNT's shoulders,

"You okay there, lass?" She asked. SNT gave Marine a saddened smile.

"Yeah... I'm fine." She lied. Marine wasn't convinced however and knew that something must be done. The young raccoon thought hard on what she should do, then suddenly—a light bulb erupted from her head.

_ Eureka! _She thought. There was one thing Marine could do to help SNT's mood. A toothy grin formed on her face as she turned her back on the hybrid. "Don't you lie to me; a good captain should know about 'er crew's feelings." She claimed. SNT's smile grew slightly, she never knew what to expect with Marine.

"It's okay Marine, I'm fine." She claimed. Marine shook her head.

"Nope, we can't have a sour puss in my crew." Marine stated. SNT looked at Marine in confusion._ What was she saying? _She wondered. Marine overly exaggerated a shrug. "But if y'a are telling the truth, then I guess I don't have to show y'a my new invention." She revealed. SNT's eyes widened in shock.

"What? B... but you said you'll show me after the tour!" She pointed out. Marine rubbed her nose as she could feel SNT's confusion.

_ Hook, line and sinker! _ Marine said in her mind. However, she knew that the bait wasn't fully caught yet. She exaggerated a sigh, "What can I say, even a captain goes through a change of heart. But, if you don't wanna..." She dragged out. As expected, SNT immediately cut her off.

"No please, can you show me? Please Marine?" SNT begged. The bait had been taken; all Marine needed to do was reel it in.

"Call me Captain Marine and we got a deal." Marine pushed.

"Don't push your luck, Captain." SNT advised. The excitement in her eyes faded as she stared blankly at the young raccoon.

"Aw, well, she'll be apples." Marine chuckled. "Cheers, I'll show y'a my invention outside."

SNT watched as Marine walked out the workshop. Confusion still plagued the poor hybrid; she had only met Marine and yet the young raccoon was willing to cheer her up. _ Why? _ She wondered. The hybrid quickly shook her head, it shouldn't matter—Marine had been hyping up this invention so SNT felt that she had to see what all the fuss was about.

SNT walked out of the workshop where Marine had waited for her. The young raccoon sighed in relief; the line hadn't been broken.

"Okay Marine, where's your invention?" SNT asked. Marine grew a toothy grin as she pulled out a pink bracelet.

"Ta-dah!" Marine shouted. She presented the bracelet with pride and invigoration. SNT expressed confusion at the sight of the bracelet; there wasn't anything _ special _ about it, no _ special _ design nor high-tech pattern, it was just a normal bracelet.

"A bracelet?" SNT asked. Marine closed her left eye and wagged her finger.

"It's not just any old bracelet; this 'ere is the Royal fortune. Any lucky animal that puts this bewdy on will have their powers amplified tenfold!" She explained. SNT's eyes widened in shock.

"What? This bracelet can do all that?" She gasped in pure disbelief. Marine chuckled at her acquaintance's reaction which brought joy to her heart.

"S'right! Here, give it a burl," Marine suggested. The young raccoon grabbed SNT's arm and slipped the bracelet on. The bracelet smoothly slipped through her fingers and wrapped tightly around the hybrid's wrist. SNT looked at her wrist curiously as Marine took a few steps back. "Cheers, let's start the first test!" She announced. SNT's attention instantly switched to Marine.

"Wait, first test?!" She gasped. The bracelet started to glow a pink aquatic aura, which slowly grew on SNT's arm as it encompassed her shoulder to her body. A sudden rush of energy flowed through SNT's veins as she could feel her senses growing. Her eyesight increased as she could suddenly hear even the smallest of birds chirping at a far distance. Marine's smile grew bigger with every passing second, not a single malfunction in sight.

"Holy Dooley! Cheers newcomer, how do you feel?" The young inventor asked. The aquatic aura covered the hybrid's body as it emitted a gust of wind. SNT didn't know how to answer Marine's question, this sudden increase of energy was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. With this power, SNT felt like she could accomplish anything.

Suddenly, a pink aura emanated from SNT's body. The aquatic aura mixed itself with the natural one, causing the hybrid to emit a bright pink light that blinded Marine. _ That can't be good! _ The young inventor realized. The once beautiful feeling of power turned into an unstable trauma, SNT's eyes widened as the area around her began to sizzle into static and return to normal in a matter of seconds. She could perceive the molecules of the world twist and contort in ways that shouldn't even be possible.

**SPECIAL**

Electricity crackled around the royal fortune, as an over-stressed sound emitted from within.

**SPECIA—crack!**

The royal fortune shattered into pieces. Suddenly, the rush of energy faded as SNT's aura disappeared as quickly as it appeared. SNT could feel her five senses slowly descend into their normal limits.

"Wha... What happened?" She wondered aloud. Marine's vision quickly returned, however, the first thing she saw were the broken pieces of her invention.

"Crikey, it malfunctioned?" She gasped. SNT looked down at the broken pieces, this simple bracelet gave her that exhilarating feeling. Now that the bracelet was off, the hybrid's body felt heavier and weaker. Marine quickly gathered up the pieces as the sight pulled SNT back into reality.

"I'm sorry Marine, I didn't mean to!" She apologized desperately. Marine looked up at SNT and smiled nervously. She had no idea what exactly happened, but she did know that she needed to rectify the situation.

"Aw... umm... don't worry about it!" She clambered. The young raccoon wanted a second try, she wouldn't let things end this way. "Say Entee, stay put while I go fix this thing." Marine ordered. SNT's eyes widened in shock, she didn't want to be left alone.

"Huh? But what about the tour?" She asked.

"I'll be back in a jiffy. Promise," Marine claimed. Before SNT could protest any further, Marine bolted inside the workshop. SNT simply stood there, dumbfounded by everything that had happened.

SNT held her right arm to her chest as the icy cold wind of isolation once again wrapped itself around her body. While this town was nice and quiet now, SNT still remembered its hellish equivalent from her dream._ Please be back soon, Marine. _ She hoped. The hybrid looked around herself for anything that could keep her mind away from that image. Her eyes shifted to and fro until they laid upon a strange looking hut, not even a single story tall. Two dark windows stood next to the open doorway, of which displayed nothing but complete darkness. An intimidating aura emitted from this place as something about it felt off. SNT put her pointer finger to her chin and bent forward a bit with her two tails stretched directly opposite of each other. SNT looked back at the workshop, Marine was nowhere to be seen. The hybrid returned her gaze to the hut. The smell of embers slowly returned to her nostrils.

"No!" She shouted, shaking the illusionary embers away. As much as it pained her to betray the trust of a friend, she couldn't just stand here and wait for her anxiety to bring back that unpleasant scenery. "Sorry Marine." She muttered under her breath. Taking in a huge chunk of air, SNT walked inside. Light poured from the outside world and revealed a bunch of body armor hooked up into the wall. To the left of it were strange artifacts unfamiliar to the experiment as they even held a symbol on their center.

Darkness blanketed the interior of the hut, leaving everything untouched by the natural light completely invisible. Light beamed from the opened doorway and granted SNT some form of vision. The light gleamed onto a metallic semi-circular device with three lights, one each attached a third of the way around it.

"What is this?" SNT wondered as two glowing eyes shined behind her. In her surprise, she was thrown by an unexpected figure. SNT felt the wind brush against her body as she fell on her back, dirt staining her clothes. Confusion swelled up from within the hedgehog-fox hybrid, she wasn't able to see anybody from outside the hut.

"You are not welcome here, leave this place!" A deep unfamiliar voice demanded. SNT sat up and watched a metallic figure dawned in black and gray armor leap from the hut and land right in front of her. This figure had two protruding ears like a rabbit, an unfamiliar symbol glowed a bright purple on its forehead, as did its sharp slits for eyes. SNT stared at the figure in pure disbelief as its hostility reminded her of an echidna she knew.

"Wh..who are you?" She asked. The figure crossed its arms and scowled in annoyance.

"My name is of no importance! Leave if you value your life!" It growled. SNT glared at the metallic figure and pointed at her.

"Why are you being so mean? I haven't done anything wrong!" She claimed. The metallic figure stretched both of its arms out, purple energy flared from its wrists as it held energy like daggers.

"Oh, please don't feign ignorance, you were just about to touch my gadgets were you not?" It retorted. SNT stood to her feet, more annoyed than ever.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't leave the door to your top secret gadgets open." She chimed. The metallic figure went into a stance as if ready to attack.

"I grow tired of this nonsense. If you won't leave then I'll make you leave, by force!" It announced. The metallic figure dashed at SNT and swung its energy dagger like a knife. SNT jumped back to avoid the attack.

"Missed me!" She teased. The figure performed a horizontal slash, to which SNT casually ducked under. "Missed me again!" The hybrid chuckled, now she wanted nothing more than to humiliate her foe. The metallic figure leapt backwards and threw out three grenades at SNT's feet. 

"Can't you do better than—"

The grenades exploded while she attempted to sass, propelling the hybrid up into the air. Emotionlessly, the metallic figure took that opportunity to jump up and slash her energy blade into SNT's body before kicking her back into the ground. The hybrid felt the air leave her lungs as she crashed, dirt erupted upward like a geyser from the impact. SNT quickly rolled to her feet, however she fell to her knees as she suddenly felt weaker.

"My body..." She groaned; it was difficult to even stand. The metallic figure landed on its feet and once again dashed at SNT.

SNT clenched her hand into a fist and glared at her foe. The metallic figure slashed her energy blade—but SNT saw this coming, she quickly moved and grabbed the figure's wrist. "Enough!" She demanded. With a swing, SNT lifted her foe up into the air and used its weapon to slash it across the face. The figure's face cracked upon impact but SNT wasn't done there—she leapt into the air and curled into a ball. With a sound similar to a record scratch—SNT slammed herself into the figure's body and crashed it into the ground. The impact cracked the stone tiles as well as flushed both the dirt and dust into a wave. SNT acrobatically moved a few paces back, her eyes stayed on her foe. "Had enough?" She scoffed. However as much as she wanted to keep on this act, SNT could feel herself breathing heavily. _ Stay down. _ She hoped. Her eyes widened as the metallic figure began to rise. _ No way, how strong is this thing? _ She wondered. The hybrid stayed on guard as her opponent stood to its feet. It's helmet however was severely cracked and its eyes flickered on and off erratically.

The metallic figure receded its helmet, revealing a person with six flowing spines from its head. The figure was a female echidna with light orange fur, velvet eyes outlined by tanned fur like eye shadow and the ends of her spines, the only thing remaining of the metallic foe's head was a black headband.

"Wait, you're...?" SNT gasped in shock. The orange foe gritted her teeth, without warning she lunged towards SNT with her dagger ready. The hybrid's eyes widened as she was taken off guard.

**SPECIAL**

The echidna's eyes widened as a pink aura emanated around SNT's body.

"What the?" She gasped. The echidna was mere inches away when fire erupted from the ground like an awakened volcano. The flames emitted a heat wave that forced the two back. Both SNT and the echidna managed to land on their feet, their bodies drenched in sweat by the flames unrelenting heat. The echidna couldn't believe her sight as a black figure spawned from within the flames. A thin blade poked out of the walls of scorching fire without any wear for damage.

"Tis pointless battle ends now!" The voice of a noble knight echoed in the air. A mere swing of the blade was enough to kill the fire. Within the vortex of fire; stood a lone purple cat, dawned in Arthurian armor.


	3. Personal Endeavor part 1

Marine whistled a tune as she walked outside the workshop, royal fortune successfully fixed and held within her hand. The item had nearly given her a heart attack when it broke into tiny pieces. Now however, the bracelet was better than ever thanks to a certain blacksmith.

"Sure took a bit, but I finally got it fixed." She cheered, holding the item close to her cheek like a well-behaved pet. The Raccoon continued to whistle her favorite tune as she walked towards the spot where she left the newcomer. "Cheers Entee, let's resume our—"

The smell of burnt grass filled the atmosphere, as Marine could feel her body tense up from a sudden boiling heat. "—Tour?" She finished. The confused tour guide opened her eyes, bearing witness to a spiral of flames dissipating at the mere presence of what looked like a purple royal cat. "Oh crikey..." She barely managed to gasp, her words struggled to leave her mouth at the awe-striking sight of a burning battlefield between an echidna and SNT. Marine didn't need any time however, to know that this was not good.

**Chapter 2:**

**A Personal Endeavor**

**Part 1**

Tiny specks of lingering flames fluttered like leaves in the wind before slowly dying off to reveal the visage of a royal knight. The blazing sun glistened upon her armor which covered her body from head to toe, the only uncovered parts were her furry ears and hair, radiating a purple coat of fur over her scalp. A metallic mask hides her face, leaving only the ends of a white muzzle present in the sight of the beholder. SNT's eyes focused on the dying sparks, the imagery of her dream remained present, it was obvious that this knight could control the element of fire, so only one question remained in her mind.

_ This person... could she be...? _

The royal knight wielded a Sabre with a golden guard and a sharp silver tip, this rapier was pointed at a downward angle with a heated aura surrounding the metallic blade. The female echidna stood behind her, a confused glare spawned within her velvet eyes as she disarmed her weapons.

"Why did you interfere, Percival?" She barked with clenched teeth. The royal knight responded to the question, slightly moving her head to look back at the echidna. Even with the mask, SNT could feel the tension between the two. It was suffocating, the kind only born through an intense rivalry.

"I ought to ask of you, the same, Shade." Percival spoke. Her words were carefully picked, as if she valued her dialect above all else. Shade the echidna took a step back and clenched her right hand into a fist.

"Me? She trespassed on my property! She's a trespasser, an intruder!" The echidna claimed in defense. SNT stood to her feet and pointed at the two.

"Hey! It's not my fault your property is out in the open!" She snapped. Both Shade and Percival shifted their sights towards the hybrid. Their cold, stoic eyes stabbed through her soul, forcing even the "Special" one to recoil in intimidation. Their sheer experience of deadly encounters rang true as even SNT could feel the weight of Percival's stare from behind the mask. SNT tensed up, she had never felt this type of aura before, not even the likes of Infinite had managed to display this amount or better yet, lack of emotional attachment. "Ah...umm..." SNT struggled to match, her anxiety quickly got the better of her.

"Entee!"

Finally, the tension laid off the hybrid. Instead, all three fighters moved their sights upon Marine the Raccoon. SNT sighed in relief. Finally, she didn't have to go through this alone. The hybrid waved a hand towards the Raccoon who looked at her with wide eyes.

"Marine, boy am I glad to see you," she said.

"Don't you 'Marine' me!" The Raccoon growled, anger and fear swelled within her voice. SNT could feel these emotions, it surprised her. Marine seemed annoyed, completely unwelcoming like she was before. Despite this, Marine ran towards the hybrid and grabbed her by the wrist.

"Hey!" SNT shrieked. Marine's grip was tight and painful, her eyes were scornful but at the same time confused.

"Marine!" Percival called stoically. Marine's light blue eyes shrank, a chill crawled down her spine as she heard the knight's calling. SNT noticed this expression, it was something she had never expected to appear on such a young girl's face. Her eyes shifted towards the knight, a left hand placed on her hip, a calm demeanor that displayed the true scope of her control over this scenario. "Take the knave and leave this exchange." She ordered. Marine didn't retort, she didn't even complain. The young raccoon simply did as she was told. SNT watched as she was pulled away, the two powerful females shrank from her sight before vanishing completely. Marine didn't utter a word as she followed her orders, something uncanny to SNT as Marine had always been this person that desired nothing more than to be the center of attention.

"Hey, Marine?" She called. Marine didn't respond, she simply kept running. "Marine?" Still no response. SNT frowned, something was obviously wrong. "Hang on, Marine!" She snapped, swiping her hand out of the raccoon's grip and forcing them both to halt. "Marine, what's wrong? Why are you so quiet?"

"What's... wrong? What's wrong?" Marine processed. A worried frown formed on SNT's face.

_ Did I do something wrong?  _ She wondered. Marine was shaking, breathing heavily. It's as if she barely escaped the clutches of death. SNT put a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "Please, tell me what's wrong." She begged. Marine clenched both hands into fists, a green aura began to form around her body. Before SNT could react, Marine swiftly turned around with a fist raised above her head.

"You land-lovin bloke!" The raccoon shouted suddenly. She threw her raised fist and landed a powerful punch to SNT's right cheek. The green aura enveloped her fist before the impact and discharged an energy ball to unleash even more power into the attack. The force lifted SNT off her feet and flung her body a few inches away. A loud gasp broke out from SNT's lungs as her back fell against the dirt filled land.

"Ow... what... why?" SNT managed to ask, in the midst of coughing due to the sudden release of carbon dioxide.

"That's for not listenin to what I tell y'a!" Marine explained. Her expression was intense, and her eyes were filled with nothing but betrayal. "Out of all people, you picked a fight with Shade!?! What were y'a thinkin?" Marine shouted. SNT was speechless, nobody has ever really yelled at her before, especially for her actions. A dark pit grew within her heart, nurturing a peculiar feeling that the "special" one did not recognize. All she could think about was how Marine's anger was her fault. "Why didn't you just stay put like I told ya?" Marine asked. SNT hung her head low, unable to look past this peculiar feeling. This... sadness...

"I... I'm sorry, Marine," She apologized, hoping to stop this feeling that built within her chest. "It... it's just, it's just that I felt alone when you left. Lonely, so lonely... I didn't want to feel alone, I'm sorry..." She continued. Marine's frown grew, she never enjoyed seeing someone this way. The raccoon felt like she was the bad guy, that SNT meant every word. The young raccoon rolled her eyes, the disobeyal wasn't the only reason why she was upset.

"Sorry, but I can't accept that," She responded. SNT swung her head up, looking at Marine in complete disbelief. She wanted to shout, argue why she should accept her apology. Then she remembered Marine's frightened eyes, fear and disappointment spreading like a virus displayed through her pupils. Shade the echidna, the one that attacked her. Could this fear be caused by her? SNT looked into Marine's saddened eyes, rage was also present.

"But..."

"No buts, not this time." Marine spoke.

"What do you want me to say then?" SNT asked. Marine sighed, completely understanding the hybrid's frustration. She seemed like a lass that would always be the center of attention, even if she didn't want to be.

"Listen Entee, y'a have a good reputation round these parts, mainly thanks to that sheila, Maria. In Knothole, reputation s'all that matters. If you lose that reputation by recklessly gettin into fights... then... '' Marine explained, her eyes looking down to her hands. "Not everythin can be fixed, with... with a simple apology. Forgiveness is only somethin given to the lot that can earn their respect back." She continued. SNT looked at her, processing those last few words. All of these emotions wrapped around the raccoon's voice, emotions that had been building up for a long time.

"Earn...my... respect back," SNT pondered. Suddenly, a spark of pain flared on the hybrid's cheek. It wasn't intense, but it burned. SNT rubbed her cheek to ease the pain. Marine looked back at her friend and noticed a small burn mark present. Her eyes widened as she once again looked at the palms of her hands. She was trembling, not out of fear, but disappointment. Once again, she let her emotions cloud her judgement.

Marine closed her eyes and turned away from SNT.

"Maria is waitin for y'a in the cafeteria..." The raccoon mentioned. Her tone was now distant and cold. SNT could feel these negative emotions without looking at her tour guide's face, it forced the hybrid to experience something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Regret.

"It's rude to keep a lassie waitin." Marine claimed, before walking past the hybrid without even looking in her direction. Finally, SNT lifted her head, plagued by confusion as she witnessed her friend walk away from their destination.

"W... wait!" SNT called, her voice halted the young raccoon. "Are... aren't you coming with me?" She asked, afraid of what the answer may yield. Marine didn't make eye contact, she simply shook her head.

"Trust me, newcomer. Your better off goin alone." She claimed. SNT wanted to object, she wanted to say something that would regain Marine's trust. Alas, her mouth opened but no words were spoken. Marine continued to walk, with SNT watching her friend leave her sight. The deep abyss grew larger within SNT's heart. Begrudgingly, She turned her sights toward the cafeteria. She looked back, only to see that Marine was gone. A sigh left the hybrid's lips as she walked toward her destination. Suddenly, she stopped in a frightful state. For some reason she could feel the weight of two soul-piercing eyes observing her. A nervous sweat flowed down her cheek as she looked back to see the source of her stalker.

Nothing, as far as the eye can see. Wind blew some fallen leaves past her body, as the only sound was that of chattering from the cafeteria.

"Hm, must've been my imagination." SNT thought to herself. With that, the hybrid entered the cafeteria.

"SNT!" A voice called, attracting the anxious hybrid's attention. SNT's eyes shifted towards Maria, who waited patiently in the closest table. The blonde hedgehog waved at her, calling SNT's name once more. She wasn't alone though, next to her was a familiar yellow fox. He wore rusted gold goggles, a blue shirt with baggy white sleeves and bright blue gloves. SNT couldn't help but find the fox familiar. She walked to them, noticing how active the cafeteria was in comparison to before. Some were people she met like Wave the Swallow, most however, were people she didn't recognize. SNT's verdant eyes returned to Maria and the fox boy. The boy smiled at her sight and waved as Maria motioned SNT to sit with them.

"Hey, Maria..." SNT solemnly greeted before taking a seat next to Maria. The blonde hedgehog smiled warmly at her, only to notice the hybrid's mood. The fox held out a hand towards SNT, completely oblivious to her saddened expression.

"It's an honor to meet you, SNT!" He greeted. SNT noticed the gloved hand and gazed into the fox's eyes. Three bangs hung from his head and a smile was centered on his white fluffy muzzle. "Maria informed me of your heroic tales." He added, taking off his goggles as a form of respect. SNT's eyes widened upon the sudden azure glow within his young and spirited eyes. A wave of familiarity crashed onto her like a truck.

**SPECIAL **

The young fox's eyes widened as a glittering pink aura enveloped SNT's body. Suddenly, an image of a young two-tailed fox flying towards the light blue hybrid emerged from his mind.

"Hi, I'm Tails and I'm Sonic's best friend." The young fox greeted. The pink glitter vanished as soon as it appeared, leaving the goggled fox dumbfounded.

"T...Tails?" SNT guessed, her heart wishing it to be true. The fox glanced at her in both shock and confusion. This was apparent to Maria, for some reason her friend spaced out for a couple seconds.

"Sorry, SNT. This is my friend, Griffin. Griffin, the blacksmith. He was in the workshop with me earlier." She jumped in. Griffin shook his head and laughed slightly. Once again, SNT frowned but she tried to hide it with a forced smile.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else, silly me." She explained with a disingenuous chuckle. Griffin rubbed his nape to soothe his nerves before joining SNT.

"Aw don't worry about it, you're not the first one to make that mistake. Besides, it's nice to know I'm a constant feature across the multiverse." He chuckled.

"Multiverse?" SNT questioned. She heard that term tossed around before, but never really learned what it meant. Griffin's chuckle grew louder, embarrassed by the term he tossed around all willy nilly.

"I'll... tell you later." He promised. Maria looked at SNT in concern, her eyes closed in on the small burn mark on her cheek. Clearly, something was wrong.

"Hey, SNT, have you seen Marine?" She asked. Marine was supposed to be SNT's ‘Tour guide’ and yet she was nowhere to be seen. "I figured she would be right behind you." Maria said. SNT's eyes dropped to the brown wooden texture of the table, it reflected her saddened face which only made her feel worse. Both Griffin and Maria shared a quick glance, SNT's mood was both obvious and informative. Griffin leans towards her.

"What happened?" He asked. SNT looked at him, he was the spitting image of Miles ‘Tails’ Prower. The blacksmith had a slightly comforting face that SNT felt she could trust and yet, she still felt a longing for home. With a deep sigh, SNT opened her mouth to explain what had happened.

"I betrayed her." She answered.

"You did what?" Maria gasped. SNT merely nodded her head and let the constant chatter of the villagers take control of the mood. Maria's sudden shout however, caught the attention of both a purple bandicoot with a red bow and a violet cat wearing a purple T-shirt and blue jeans.

"Hey, is everything alright?" The cat asked. Maria laughed nervously.

"Yeah, everything is A-okay!" She attempted to lie. The blonde hedgehog did not want to bring any attention to someone with unstable abilities like SNT. The violet cat's light brown eyes glance towards the hybrid, noticing her unique appearance.

"Hey, aren't you the newcomer Marine was supposed to take care of?" She asked. SNT looked away to avoid using her ‘Special’ ability.

"Um... yeah?" She muttered. The violet cat sighed in annoyance.

"That obnoxious raccoon left you all alone? Honestly, I should've known." She claimed.

"Obnoxious?" SNT gasped. Griffin held his hand towards the cat in a presentable manner.

"Oh that's right! Be at awe at the magnificent presence of Lady Nicole, Chief Percival's second in command of Knothole Village." He explained. Nicole the cat made a peace sign and winked upon being introduced.

"Please call me, Spd. Trust me, it makes things a lot less confusing." She said. SNT's mind focused on the name Percival, it was the same name Shade gave to that royal knight. Instantly, SNT put two and two together.

"Wait Griffin, you said Percival right? That's the name of the woman who saved me," She announced. Spd, Maria and Griffin were shocked to hear this piece of news.

"Hold up, you already met the chief?" Spd gasped. SNT nodded.

"Yeah, this person named Shade attacked me..." She went on to explain. Spd took a step back, recoiling at the mere thought of fighting someone like Shade the echidna.

"You... you fought, Shade?" She gasped. More and more people turned their heads to see what the commotion was about. Both Griffin and Maria noticed this and tried to signal for SNT to stop. SNT was too oblivious to notice, too passionate about her words to give others the time of day.

"Yep, I looked through this weird shack when she came out of nowhere and attacked me." She explained.

"Holy hell, you even went as far as to enter her weapon foundry?" Spd recoiled further. Now people were starting to take interest in the newcomer, much to the dismay of Maria Robotnik. Everybody came closer like children being read a bedtime story. Even still, SNT continued.

"I defended myself until she surprised me, but that's when Percival came to my rescue."

"Hell yeah, that's our chief!" A blue nutria cheered, others joined him.

"Oh no..." Maria muttered under her breath. She knew where this was going.

"What happened next?" Griffin asked. Maria glared at the blacksmith in complete disbelief. Griffin noticed this and shrugged, if you can't beat them, join them. Maria sighed and shook her head in disappointment.

"Well... Percival and Shade got into an argument, then Marine showed up and took me away." SNT finished. A bunch of loud groans and disappointed sighs could be heard afterwards.

"That Marine, why does she always have to ruin everything?" A purple bandicoot groaned.

To be Continued…


	4. A Personal Endeavor Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I doubt anyone really cares about this, but I apologize for the extremely late Update. The next chapter won't take as long as this I promise. Well hopefully you guys enjoy this.

Marine hung her head low, a feeling of shame washed over her like a shower head. Her arms shook in response to the image of SNT's scar flashing within her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about it. Once again, she had hurt a friend. Sure, she didn't mean to, but the fact remains that she still did it. She couldn't even bring herself to apologize.  _ Perhaps they were right after all. _ She thought to herself.

"The protection fee has already been paid last month!" A stoic voice claimed. Marine's eyes widened in shock.

"I know that voice!" She gasped. The young raccoon looked up and saw chief Percival near the village gate. She stood alone with three other people; one was a hulking grey albatross with white feathers on his chest, his eyes were covered with a binocular-looking visor with black lenses. His hair resembled Wave's albeit shorter with the tips being a darker grey than the rest of his body, he wore orange gloves and grey shoes with a golden strap across the center of the shoe. Despite the weird headpiece, the albatross was still a living being, the person next to her, however, was a completely different story. 

This... thing, was completely composed of metal parts; its upper body was a pale white with a red heart at its center, its lower body was a lime green however the legs were completely pink, which was the same color as its head which had four quills protruding around its scalp. Its eyes were black but with crimson red pupils. Lastly, it had sharp claws and purple feet.

"Oh, come now, kitty..." Said the third person, presumably the boss as he stood in the center of the other two. This guy looked exactly like Sonic, only his fur was a dark purple and his eyes were lined with thick black eyeliner. A star was emblazoned on his forehead as his muzzle was a light purple, including his nose. He wore gray finger less biker gloves along with grey jeans, black socks and gray shoes with red soles. This guy picked up his thumb and pointed towards his smug face. "We both know that isn't the reason I'm here. Nothin personnel... of course."

"Who are these lot?" Marine wondered. She quickly moved closer and hid behind the house where she first met SNT. She carefully stuck her head out partially, enough for her to watch over the conversation. Her blue eyes focused on the purple hedgehog, feeling a strange sinister aura emit from his body. 

"Yeah, talk or else we'll trash ya." The Albatross spoke in confidence.

"I'll ask ya again, kitty. Where's the echidna?" The purple hedgehog asked. The robotic one stayed silent and simply stared at the chief with those unusual eyes.

"Echidna... are they talkin about Shade?" Marine pondered. A shadow loomed over her body which brought about an unnerving feeling. It didn't take long for Marine to feel as though she was being watched. The young raccoon turned around to face her watcher, only to be met with a towering black body. The solar rays of the sun beamed upon the stalker's body, shadowing their appearance with blinding light.

"You shouldn't be here." The stalker claimed. Feeling as though she had been found, Marine opened her mouth to shout. The stalker was fast though as she grabbed her and covered her mouth before Marine could utter a single word. Marine's screams were muffled, nowhere near loud enough to gain Percival's attention.

"Shut up before you get us killed." The stalker growled silently. Marine struggled within their grasp, constantly trying to escape until her eyes laid upon a black wristband with a purplish glow. She recognized the wristband and finally decided to calm down. The stalker noticed this and allowed the child to speak.

"Shade?" Marine gasped, finally being able to see the echidna's face. The face of the woman that fought SNT. Shade glared at the young raccoon and smacked her upside the head. "Ow," she groaned.

"Idiot, I told you to shut up..." Shade growled. The echidna looked towards Percival's position with a careful eye. "They'll hear you." She claimed. Marine looked at her in confusion, she has never seen the echidna like this before. Shade usually was so stoic, so brutally honest that she quickly became a scorn of the village. Marine had always admired that, admired the fact that Shade never let the villager's opinions get to her. So, it was unnerving for Marine to witness someone she admired so much, play things carefully, as if these three individuals terrified her.

"Who are they?" The raccoon asked, observing Percival's conversation along with Shade the echidna.

"Those three are the Shadow Stars, high profile assassins of the highest bidder. Rumor has it that they're so good at their job that they've managed to take down an embodiment of chaos." Shade explained. She then pointed at the purple hedgehog. "That one in the middle is the leader of the group. Nobody knows his true name but his reputation has made people give him the title, 'Coldsteel'."

"Coldsteel..." Marine muttered. She stared curiously at the boss, his tail was pierced by a chain that rattled with his every move, and golden rings pierced his quills. Despite all of these accessories, the young raccoon couldn't help but be reminded of the blue hedgehog that helped her in the past.

"For the last time, no echidnas reside in this village. The flaming one ensured that 3 years ago." Percival informed. Coldsteel bellowed a loud obnoxious laugh.

"She thinks we'll be satisfied with that. Can ya believe her guys? What a riot!" He cackled. This moment of entertainment however, was cut short as he realized that he was the only one that found humor within the knight's statement. His pink robotic buddy stayed silent. Even the albatross looked at his boss and scratched his head in confusion. Coldsteel clenched his teeth in frustration and punched the albatross in the shoulder. "Laugh!" He barked. Suddenly, the pink robot bellowed an incredibly forced laugh, one that rivaled stock laughter in comedy shows. The albatross still didn't know what was funny but laughed regardless. Apparently, that was enough to satisfy Coldsteel as he smiled as if he had made the funniest joke in the world. The Shadow Stars laughed for a bit, before abruptly frowning in silence. "Search the village!" Coldsteel commanded. His goons simply nodded at the order before taking another step towards the village chief. Percival sucked her teeth before jumping a good distance back, so that she may reach for her sabre. 

"Unless thy want to be fried, I recommend not taking another step forward," She threatened. Coldsteel over exaggerates a fearful gesture.

"Oooohhh, I'm so scared now!" He spoke pretentiously. "Cut the crap, kitty cat. You may act tough but I see right through that stupid mask of yours. You're scared, thinking about what you should do since you're outnumbered," He claimed. The three took another step forward, increasing the anxiety that plagued Percival. She gritted her teeth and placed her hand on the hilt of her blade.

_I can't take them all at once, I'll need to divide and conquer with my flames._ The knight planned. The three took yet another step forward, their eyes spoke volumes about how comfortable they felt in this predicament. The albatross slammed both of his fists together and bellowed a laugh. Percival took a step back, hoping to find an opening soon. Suddenly, Coldsteel's robot ally looked beyond Percival. Its eyes flickered with a neon green glow. Percival's eyes widened. _This could be my chance!_ She thought. The knight immediately opened her mouth, "What is your robot doing?" She asked. Coldsteel glanced at his robot buddy. Constant beeping noises emitted from its transmitter as though it was deciphering information. In the midst of this, Percival concentrated all of her energy into her sabre, soon she'll have enough energy to take these guys out all at once, A smug grin formed on the Coldsteel's violet muzzle.

"Well well well, looks like Robo-Amy here has found the runaway." He announced. Percival gasped in pure disbelief which made Coldsteel laugh. "And judging your reaction, I'd say ya hidin' her." He claimed. Percival was speechless, she had never thought that this world would produce a machine capable of tracking the location of a runaway. Sweat formed on her forehead as she tried to think of something. Robo-Amy's eyes flashed a warm yellow as a robotic yet girl-like voice emitted from her communication device. 

"RUNAWAY ECHIDNA DETECTED!" She announced. 

"No!" Percival gasped. Fire erupted from the robot's back and lifted her off the ground.

"BEGINNING CAPTURE PROTOCOL!" Said Robo-Amy. Coldsteel laughed even harder at the chief's failure to hide an illegal runaway.

"Well then, Storm! Robo-Amy! Find the runaway, even if ya have to burn this entire village to the ground!" He ordered. Storm the Albatross laughed maniacally as he happily raised his arms into the air. Having lost all control of this situation, Percival pulled her sabre out of its scabbard before it could be fully charged. 

"You asked for this!" She growled. A spiral of fire sprouted from beneath the knight's feet, forming around her like a force field. Everyone except Storm was unphased by this desperate tactic. With a single step back, Percival dashed towards Coldsteel with unbelievable speed and slashed right through the hedgehog's abdomen. Coldsteel's eyes widened in pure disbelief, he wasn't even able to perceive the moment of action. Percival walked past the purple hedgehog as his body split in two. The two parts collapsed with a look of complete agony etched onto Coldsteel's face. Percival turned towards the severed body with disappointment in her eyes. Considering the connections this guy had, Percival had hoped he would've survived at least a couple seconds longer. "How pathetic." She mumbled. 

A loud chuckle disturbed the knight's moment of triumph, she looked at the deceased hedgehog's face, only to find that he was smiling. Despite the dismemberment, Coldsteel bellowed a deranged laugh. 

"Impossible!" Percival gasped. She felt something tug her sword, like a person trying to steal something that is sacred. Her golden eyes beneath the mask widened as she noticed black tendrils of darkness form around her scabbard. "What is this?" She gasped. It didn't make any sense, she killed Coldsteel. Why is it that she can still feel his presence? The tendrils grew rapidly and spread from the scabbard to the knight's arm, restricting her movement completely. The next thing Percival saw was the sinister grin of Coldsteel the hedgehog.

**EDGE **

To everyone outside of her perception, Percival did not move. Her sword was still in her scabbard, untouched by the hand that shook in place. Cuts and scratches covered the knight's entire body, giving her blood plenty of escape options. Coldsteel looked into Percival's frozen eyes, as he had confronted her before she had time to even make her first move.

"Go!" The victor ordered. Storm and Robo-Amy didn't argue, they both ran past their boss and set their sights on both Shade and Marine.

"Damn it! They found us!" Shade realized. Marine couldn't believe what she had witnessed, someone as powerful as Percival, easily taken down like nothing. The young raccoon knew she was in trouble, but fear held a grip on her spine. The Shadow Stars closed in on them. With Marine frozen in fear, Shade took it upon herself to grab the girl's arm and run. "We got to warn everyone!" She claimed. Marine's eyes dropped to the ground as her legs moved in tune with the echidna's.

"Everyone...." She mumbled a single word repeatedly. All the raccoon could think about was the annoyed faces of everybody in the village. Then she remembered talking to Maria, she had gotten annoyed and given the young girl a smile that reflected her mood. Then her mind shifted to the image of a beaten chipmunk held off the ground by a white glove holding on a strand of her blue jacket. Then she remembered an unconscious rabbit with a robot arm and leg, laying on the ground beaten. Marine even remembered a defeated walrus lying unconscious with a coyote with short golden hair. The image of a hooded figure with a sadistic grin on his face flashed within the raccoon's mind. Then suddenly, Marine returned to the present day. She could see both of the invaders chase them, Robo-Amy's gaining on them. Marine glanced at Shade, if she hadn't grabbed her then the echidna would have been able to teleport to the cafeteria.

"I'm... dead... weight..." Marine muttered. Every single flashback she had, had her inconvenience everybody. Everyone hated her. Tears flowed from Marine's eyes as she closed them for good.

"Thanks Marine, you're the best!" The last image that flashed within Marine's mind was the smiling face of SNT the newcomer.

"SNT..." Marine muttered. Her mind then took her to when SNT looked at her in amazement.

"Really? That's really cool Marine!" SNT claimed. Despite everything, SNT gave her a chance. SNT was the only one willing to be her friend.

_ A good captain protects her friends, no matter what!  _ Marine thought with newfound determination. She opened her eyes and felt royal fortune rattling around her wrist, its power flowed with her body to take root.  _ If I can give this to her... _ She realized; this device could be what's needed to save this village. Marine however knew that she wouldn't be able to do it by herself, Shade relies too heavily on technology for royal fortune to work. That means there's only one person left that could save this town. Marine opened her eyes and glared at the Shadow Stars. She needed to give royal fortune to SNT, but she would never be able to reach her before getting killed by these assassins. Marine took a deep breath and leapt out of Shade's grip, before aiming her fist at the two enemies. Shade stopped and turned to see what Marine was doing.

"Marine!" She called out. A greenish sphere of energy formed around Marine's fist; royal fortune multiplied the power input by five.

"This, is for Percival!" Marine shouted before firing an energy blast so powerful that it illuminated the area in a viridian green glow. Robo-Amy braced herself while Storm looked on in awe. 

"Pretty." He commented. The blast collided without any resistance, causing a small shock wave that lifted the dirt into dust-filled smoke. The air pressure born through the collision blew the young raccoon into Shade's arms. Shade kept her footing as the color returned into its natural splendor. Finally, the two opened their eyes to see the smoke that blocked their view. Marine breathed heavily; her body too small to handle the power increase. The raccoon however, noticed that there wasn't a single crack on her bracelet. 

"Woohoo! It didn't even break this time! A complete succes-Ow!" Marine cheered before being slapped upside the head by Shade.

"That was completely reckless, you could've gotten yourself killed!" Shade scolded; she had never felt as worried as she did when Marine jumped towards the enemy. The echidna's velvet eyes saw something moving within the smoke at a fast pace, it was heading towards them. "Look out!" Shade gasped, before pushing Marine down so that she may guard against the incoming object. An arrow cut through the dirt filled smoke and clashed against the echidna's armor. Robo-Amy flew towards Shade and attempted to grab her. The echidna rolled out of the way and threw a bomb at the mechanized menace. Robo-Amy halted in mid-air and swatted the bomb away, keeping her sights on the illegal runaway as it exploded in the distance. Gritting her teeth, Shade pulled out her energy daggers and took a battle stance. "Get out of here Marine, it's me they want." She claimed. Marine looked up as both technology reliant warriors glared daggers at each other. Her eyes intensified as she knew what had to be done.

"No!" Marine growled, before firing another energy blast at Robo-Amy. Shade shielded her eyes from the energy's bright light. Once again, Robo-Amy guarded herself and took the blow head on. In the midst of this distraction, Marine leapt towards Shade and placed Royal fortune in her hand. As the light faded, Shade looked at the bracelet with confusion in her eyes. She shifted her gaze towards Marine who wore a determined smile on her face. The echidna's eyes hardened; she knew what that expression meant.

"Marine, what are you doing?" She asked.

"They win if you're captured. I'll keep em busy while y'a give that to SNT." Marine explained. Shade's eyes widened in pure disbelief, she saw how easily these guys managed to take down Percival, there's no way Marine could endure their onslaught for long. She opened her mouth to argue, but was quickly cut off by the Storm's loud battle cry.

"That rat hurt me! I'll kill you for that!" He shouted to the heavens. Robo-Amy dispelled the fog that obscured her vision and landed right next to her teammate. Only a few bumps and scratches were present on her body. Marine frowned before charging up an energy blast much weaker than it would've been had she kept Royal Fortune.

"She'll be unstoppable with that, now go while you still have the chance." She claimed. Shade was speechless by Marine's courage. The outcast of Knothole village despite all the belittlement, despite how everyone treated her, was still willing to sacrifice herself to keep everyone safe. A smile formed on the echidna's face as she grew to respect the young raccoon. Marine glanced at her slightly, making sure the Shadow Stars stayed within her sights. "Go!" She demanded. Shade nodded her head and pressed a button on her gauntlet, a bubble formed around her body as she put in the coordinates.

"Your bravery is admirable, Marine the Raccoon. You have my respect." She announced. Marine nodded, as did she before pressing the button on her belt. With a screeching echo, Shade teleported away from the battlefield. Marine stood alone against the hulking albatross and robotic hedgehog. A single drop of sweat flowed down her cheek as she wondered what she could do against these perilous odds.

"Gah hah hah! Looks like your friend abandoned you! Now you're all ours!" Storm laughed. Marine fired a small energy blast that hit the albatross in the face, while weaker, the blast was strong enough to force him to stumble back like an idiot. Marine smirked,

"Trust me y'a scallywag, I'm much more than y'a can handle." She claimed. Robo-Amy didn't flinch, she simply lifted herself off the ground and boosted towards the young raccoon. Her speed shocked Marine, she couldn't hope to fight against something like that. Fear displayed itself in Marine's eyes as she braced herself for impact. Heat flushed into the young raccoon's face, however Marine could tell that it wasn't potent enough to be considered an attack. In fact, Marine didn't feel any pain come her way. 

"Huh?" Marine noticed nothing happened, she opened her eyes to see that Robo-Amy was nowhere present. Panic instilled itself within the young raccoon's heart, she couldn't believe that she'd allow someone to get past her so easily. Storm finally found his footing and bellowed a roar filled with rage.

"I'll get you for that!" He squawked. Marine gritted her teeth, she knew that Robo-Amy went after Shade. She could only hope that the echidna could reach SNT in time.

Meanwhile back at the cafeteria...

SNT was speechless, shocked displayed upon her face as she gazed upon the purple bandicoot. The comment she made about Marine seemed uncalled for, yet it seemed everyone in the cafeteria shared this opinion.

"Wait... Marine?" SNT asked. The comment didn't make any sense to her, Marine seemed so kind and energetic. Not the type of person that would garner such a negative comment. Someone else within the crowd, an orange Manx with brown hair, answered.

"Yeah, she got Sally Acorn captured!" She claimed. Confusion plagued SNT as this was the second time she heard that name. She could tell that this "Sally Acorn" meant a lot to these villagers.

"What, Marine would never do that!" She argued, but her voice was quickly drowned out within the constant bickering of the crowd. More and more complaints were made about the raccoon, as SNT was powerless to make them stop.

"She's a spoiled brat that thinks everyone is below her!" 

"She blew up my invention!" 

"Honestly, she has no regard for anybody but herself!" Spd added. More insults came, more complaints, so much negativity that SNT found herself speechless. Nobody was willing to stand up for Marine, not even Griffin nor Maria wanted to defend the raccoon. It was as if the entire village had no respect for Marine the Raccoon. SNT's eyes widened as she finally understood what her young friend told her. 

"This... is her reputation?" She spoke in complete disbelief. This was what happens to those that lose their respect. It saddened SNT, Marine was so kind to her. Sure, she may have been brash and energetic at times, but she was still a good person.

"SNT..." Maria said somberly. Saddened by the pure disbelief etched plainly upon SNT's face. The Hybrid looked down, defeated.

"No." She muttered under her breath. Her hands clenched into fists as she finally felt a familiar feeling. A raging fire flared within her core and burned away the dark pit that plagued her heart. The hybrid refused to accept these terrible things about her friend, she wouldn't allow these villagers to say whatever they wanted behind Marine's back. "You're all horrible!" She shouted. Finally, her voice was loud enough to be heard. Everyone halted their bickering and glared at SNT. More than a dozen eyes laid upon her, questioning, judging, assuming. SNT jumped on top of a table and glared back. "Look at all of you! Ganging up on a child like a bunch of bullies! I know you all have your reasons to dislike Marine, but she is my friend and I won't tolerate you insulting her when she can't even defend herself!" She scolded. Maria looked at SNT in astonishment, was this the same girl that was deeply depressed a few minutes ago? The crowd wasn't pleased, SNT's words only angered them. 

"What do you know?" They screamed. Rage filled the air as SNT stood alone, undeterred. 

"Yeah, you haven't known the brat as long as we have." Wave pointed out.

"You’re right, I haven't known her for even a day. But in the short time that I spent with her, I could tell that she was a good person inside. She tried to cheer me up when I was down, she didn't even get mad at me when I broke her invention. She is a good child that just wants to have some friends. Yet here you people are, saying such terrible things behind her back. Belittling her when she's just trying to do her best, never giving her a chance to redeem herself. Pushing a child into having an inferiority complex. Are you proud of that? Proud that you blame a child for your problems instead of doing something about it? Where were you when Sally was taken? What did you do? Tell me, what on earth did you guys do to help her? How are any of you better than her when all you do is complain? What would Sally think if she could see you guys right now? Would she be proud, huh? Would she be happy with a village that picks on a child?" She asked. Nobody said a single word, they all looked at each other as they pondered SNT's question. "Oh, now you're all quiet?" The hybrid scoffed in complete disgust. "Now that you've all been called out; you're going to stay quiet? Well, then listen to this; you are nothing but a bunch of cowards! You all show your bellies as soon as someone bites back, this isn't a proud village, it's a daycare filled with children!" SNT claimed. Once again, nobody spoke up. They all looked away, refusing to confront their shame. SNT took a deep breath and looked away, she had said her piece.

"You're right..." Spd admitted. SNT's eyes widened as she turned around to see the purple cat walk over to her. Chatter once again filled the cafeteria as everyone looked at her in both shock and bewilderment. Spd looked at SNT with soft eyes, ones filled with shame and renewal. The hybrid's words cut deeply enough for her to face reality. With a smile, she turned to the crowd and shouted, "She's right! How long are we going to lie to ourselves? Trouble was bound to find us, whether we like it or not. The Emperor had a grudge against our leader and wouldn't have been satisfied until he found her. Marine had nothing to do with it, in truth she was the only one courageous enough to confront him." She admits. Audible gasps and mutters filled the crowd as they listened to the words spoken by Percival's second in command. A relieved smile formed on Maria's face as she stood up.

"I agree! It isn't right to blame others for our mistake. Sally Acorn wasn't one to blame other people for her problems. She was an honest princess, one that desired nothing more than to fight for freedom! I think... that's what she wants us to do, to stop living in fear and stand against those that wish to take our freedom." She believed. Joy filled SNT's heart as she saw more and more villagers stand up with a newfound determination. A rebellious spark that refused to be snuffed out without a fight.

"Umm... does anyone hear that?" Griffin asked. In the midst of all this motivation, the blacksmith heard something strange in the distance. Everybody was too busy with SNT's speech to pay attention to the noises from the outside world. One was a screeching echo, as if someone had ripped through the air with their mere presence. The sound that came after however, was a crackling static, one that most people would hear during a storm. But for the sound to be this loud could only mean... 

Kra-Koom! 

A loud thunderous roar filled the atmosphere and silenced the cafeteria. Everybody looked towards the outside world and noticed that it suddenly started raining harshly. 

"What's going on? Why is it raining? It was sunny a moment ago!" The crowd spoke in confusion. SNT looked on as well, confusion plagued her mind as a single sentence was suddenly brought back to her memory.

"You're in danger, run!" The hybrid's verdant eyes widened as she realized the meaning behind her dream. The danger had finally arrived. The lights flickered before shutting down, allowing darkness to devour the cafeteria. Panic ensued; the villagers were now afraid. This blackout had never happened before, it gave birth to horror and confusion. 

"Captain Spd!" Maria shouted. In the midst of the darkness, Spd nodded before pressing something on her glove. A green light flashed from the palm of her hand as an image sprouted from the light. Everybody turned their sights towards the image; it was a brown lynx with black curly hair, her green eyes stared blankly at the one that summoned her.

"Nicole." Spd called. The holo-lynx smiled before responding. 

"Yes, Spd." She said.

_ Nicole?  _ SNT thought. She remembered Marine mentioning a similar name during the tour. She looked on in awe at the holo-lynx's beauty.

"Activate the back-up generators." Spd ordered. The holo-lynx bowed.

"Of course, Spd." She obeyed. The hologram dispersed right before the lights returned to the cafeteria. Loud gasps were audible as everybody looked at SNT in shock.

"What, is there something on my face?" The hybrid wondered. SNT felt a chill travel down her spine, there was a presence behind her. A squeaking footstep soon followed after, motivating SNT to look behind herself. Her green eyes widened as she saw Shade the echidna soaking wet and breathing heavily.

"SNT... we need your help." She announced


	5. Shadow Stars part 1

"Ack!" Marine cried as she blocked a punch that pushed her a couple feet back. The young raccoon bared her fangs as her arms felt numb. Before she knew it, the albatross was upon her and threw another punch. Desperation clung onto Marine's mind as she managed to jump out of the way by pure instincts alone. The fist crashed into the ground, erupting a shock wave that knocked the young raccoon back even further.

_ Blimey, even at a distance he packs a wallop!  _ The airborne raccoon thought before her feet touched the ground. She breathed heavily as pain surged through her body. Despite this, she outstretched her right hand towards her opponent's direction.  _ I have to finish him off, even if it kills me!  _ She determined. Storm let out an animalistic roar before charging at the young raccoon.

"Hold still you little brat!" He screamed. Marine gritted her teeth as the albatross grew closer and closer.

"No... not yet... _ "  _ She panted. Her eyes became heavy but this didn't bother her. Right now, the only thing that occupied her mind was a single desire to put every ounce of energy she had into this one desperate attack. Waves of energy poured out of her body and encircled the palm of her hand, forming an ever-growing orb that enveloped her palm. The ball of energy expanded as it also gave off a beautiful glow. Marine could feel her heart beat like a steam engine as the energy blast grew more and more powerful by the second.  _ SNT... Shade... SPD... I leave the rest to you lot... _ Her eyes intensified as the albatross came closer and closer. Marine gripped her right arm with her left hand, trying to keep her aim as steady as possible. As soon as the albatross entered arms distance, Marine yelled a mighty roar; "Hold this!"

Kra-koom!

A bright flash of light engulfed everything in sight as a loud thunderous roar erupted from the heavens. Marine's eyes widened as she suddenly felt an intense pain discharged throughout her entire body. Her fur caught fire and erected by the overwhelming charge as she was enveloped by lightning. Marine let out one last gasp before her mind entered the dark silent abyss of her subconscious, not knowing what had just happened in these past few seconds. Storm was thrown back by the sudden lightning strike, had it been any closer than he would've been fried as well. He landed on his back but quickly recovered to see what had just happened. The lightning dispersed, leaving a charred Marine who wasn't even able to let out a cry of pain. Her energy was gone, wasted into nothingness. Her body just stood there with her mouth agape and her eyes vacant of life. Rain fell soon after and as if on cue, Marine collapsed. Storm looked on in complete shock, the child that had given him so much trouble was beaten in a matter of seconds. It felt unreal, scary even as he faced nature's display of mortality.

"How pathetic, ya needed my help to defeat a child." An edgy voice scoffed.

Storm's eyes shook in fear as he could hear wet footsteps nearby. The albatross quickly realized the truth; the lightning strike was way too convenient to be nature's work. He quickly got on his knees and bowed his head in shame.

"Boss... it's not what it looks like I swear!" He begged. Coldsteel's gray shoe stomped against the newly muddy grass. His face was cold and emotionless as he simply frowned at the pathetic display provided by his underling.

###  Chapter 3:

**The Shadow Stars**

Silence fell upon the cafeteria as everyone looked at Shade the echidna in pure disbelief. The sound of raindrops hitting against the ceiling echoed as nobody dared to utter a single word. Shade wasn't fazed by the silence. In fact, she had become accustomed to this sound of ostracization as nobody in the village dared to cross her. Her velvet eyes laid upon SPD, with what happened to Percival, the role of village chief would now be assigned to the second in command. SNT looked at Shade in raw disbelief, that she would go about and tell her—a person she had conflicted with—about the danger that encroached this peaceful village, concerned her greatly. The hybrid thought back to the burning village from her dreams, wondering if it was actually something more.

"Marine? Shade you're not making any sense..." SPD commented. Shade glanced at her; her stoic expression unchanged. She had finished telling them about what had happened. SPD couldn't believe what she heard, the fact that Percival—the village chief—was beaten so easily, sank her heart into a dreadful sense of despair. "Are... are you saying we're under attack?" She asked. Shade nodded her head.

"Yes, as hard as it is for me to admit. These guys are more powerful than I ever could've imagined. I wouldn't have even escaped if it wasn't for Marine." She explained.

"Hang on, you said Marine was in danger, right?" SNT asked. Shade looked at the hybrid, she hadn't changed physically but the echidna could tell that something was different about her. She wasn't emitting that strange glow like before, instead, Shade felt this strange sense of determination in her eyes. As if she cared about Marine's wellbeing and was willing to do anything to protect her.

"You are, SNT. Correct?" Shade clarified. SNT's eyes quickly became that of confusion, as if the desperation of their situation was now apparent. Shade could tell that SNT wasn't going to play around like she did in their fight.

"Yes... but how do you know that?" She asked. Shade walked toward the hybrid, alarming her by the approach. Shade stretched her fist toward SNT, opening it so she could see Marine's invention, the 'Royal Fortune.'

"Before Marine stalled the enemy, she told me to give this to you. She said that it will help you save us." She explained. Maria's eyes widened at the invention, she remembered when Marine came running into the workshop with tiny fragments. Griffin agreed to help her fix it, but she'd never revealed what the bracelet actually does. SNT however, knew exactly what its purpose was for.

"Marine..." She solemnly spoke. Even after their fight, that young energetic raccoon still believed in her. SNT looked at the bracelet, a newfound determination coursed in her eyes as she took the device. "I won't let you down. I promise, I'll save you and defeat the Shadow Stars." She said under her breath. Just then, a horrific explosion erupted from the ceiling. The cafeteria shook like an earthquake from the impact. Shade looked up in pure disbelief.

"No!" She gasped. Debris fell from above, injuring the villagers left and right. Maria couldn't keep her balance and fell off her feet as a football sized piece of the ceiling plummeted from above. She looked at the debris, her heart sank as she watched death reach for her soul. Life flashed before her eyes when SPD suddenly jumped in and slashed the debris into pieces. A thick blue light had beamed out of the Cat's glove and took the shape of a Cutlass blade. Maria blinked twice to not mistake reality for the realm above; multiple images had flashed within her mind but for some reason, one of them contained a bald headed scientist with a white moustache. SPD turned around and gave the blonde hedgehog a hand, her face reeked of worry and desperation but she hid her fear with a stoic smile.

"You alright?" She asked. Maria blinked her eyes once again and sighed heavily. With a relieved smile she accepted the new village chief's offer.

"Thank you, but what about the villagers?" She asked. SPD's smile quickly faltered as she looked around to see a bunch of her villagers injured, either bruised by or trapped under the debris. She gritted her teeth and wished Percival hadn't let herself be defeated.

"What's that from above?" A pink bandicoot shrieked. Everyone that was able looked up and saw the shadowy figure of Robo-Amy. Her crimson eyes glowed within the dark as she scanned the villagers' characteristics.

_ A robot? _ SPD pondered. Shade gritted her teeth, unable to believe how quickly they've found her. These people were now suffering because of her existence, because she had run away from her designated home. The guilt plagued the echidna and pushed her to step forward.

"Hey! Leave these people alone, it's me you want!" She growled. Robo-Amy lowered her gaze towards the echidna, her eyes glowed a lime green as she scanned her characteristics.

"99.8% MATCH! ILLEGAL RUNAWAY, DETECTED!" She announced. Shade unleashed her energy daggers and prepared herself for an attack. SNT glanced at the echidna before returning her sight towards the pink robot. The hybrid frowned, assuming that this thing was a part of the "Shadow Stars," Shade told them about. This robot was apart of the group that attacked Marine. This fact sparked something within SNT's heart, this was something she would not forgive. Robo-Amy flew towards Shade with her hand morphing into a crossbow. Shade stood her ground, refusing to let anybody else get hurt for her own life choices.

Shade felt a cool breeze rush past her exposed head. Before she knew it, SNT had jumped ahead of her and intercepted Robo-Amy with a swift swing of her two tails,

"Detect this chrome dome!" She roared, repelling the robotic terrorist back. The sudden attack chucked Robo-Amy right into a nearby table. The impact broke the wooden board and erupted splinters high into the air.

"When did she...?" Shade gasped; her eyes widened in pure disbelief. The hybrid moved so fast that it appeared as if she teleported.  _ She wasn't that fast when I fought her, could she have... held back?  _ She wondered, now understanding why Marine placed so much confidence in her abilities. Splinters fell upon Robo-Amy as a loud screeching sound emitted from her body. Civilians kept their distance as SNT placed her hands on her hips.

"What's wrong? Waiting for an update or something?" She scoffed. That seemed to have struck a nerve—or whatever the robotic equivalent would be—as Robo-Amy quickly stood on her feet.

"HOSTILE UNIDENTIFIED CREATURE DETECTED!" She spoke. SNT's eyes hardened.

"Good, now call your master before I upgrade you into a trash compactor." She threatened.

"REQUEST TO MEET ADMIN... DENIED!" Robo-Amy claimed before lunging at the hybrid.

"Trash it is then," SNT retorted. She got into a stance as the robot approached her. Just then, Robo-Amy gets smashed into the head with a sledgehammer as the force threw her back into the pile of splinters. SNT's eyes widened as Griffin swung his hammer before resting it on his shoulders.

"Don't forget, she's not alone." He announced. The blacksmith turned towards SNT and gave her a thumbs up. "You can count on me, SNT!" He claimed. A warm smile formed on SNT's face as she gratefully appreciated the help.

"Thank you, Griffin." She returned the gesture. Their attention returned to Robo-Amy as she erratically shouted the word "ERROR" repeatedly.

"ERROR! CRITICAL DAMAGE HAS OCCURRED!" She announced before slowly standing on her feet once more. Her black visor was cracked, leaking small rainbow fractures in her sight. Griffin readied his sledgehammer as both SPD and SNT stood next to him.

"Believe me. You'll wish it was a simple error after we're done with you." SPD claimed. They all walked towards Robo-Amy with malice present in their eyes.

"ERROR! THE SITUATION HAS BECOME DISADVANTAGEOUS! ABORT! ABORT!" Robo-Amy claimed. Fire blasted out of her back and lifted her metallic body off the ground.

"You're not getting away!" SNT claimed. She leapt into the air and spun her tails around like a helicopter to replicate flight. Robo-Amy increased the power output and flew into the air far faster than SNT ever could. "No!" SNT shouted. The difference in speed was apparent and it seemed like Robo-Amy was going to escape when a purple hoverboard ripped through the sky and knocked the fleeing robot out of the air. SNT once again looked on in shock as Robo-Amy fell hard into the ground. The hoverboard flew around until it came next to Wave the Swallow whom noticed SNT's expression.

"Oh, don't give me that look. I couldn't care less about the brat or that stuck-up knight." She claimed. A grin formed on her face as bright green dollar signs form on her eyes. "But a piece of tech like that, must be worth millions!" She squealed, holding her hands together with a drooling smile. A bead of sweat formed on SNT's face.

"At least your honest," she chuckled as her feet land safely on the ground. Loud and static alarms filled the air as Robo-Amy attempted to stand once more.

"WARNING! DATA AT RISK OF COMPROMISE! DAMAGE IS AT CRITICAL! ESCAPE IS ONLY OPTION!" She cried. A cracked hole filled with exposed wires and inner machinations remained where her frontal quill was located. A frown formed on SPD's face.

"Not on my watch!" She claimed. The chief turned her energy blade off and once again called for the Holo-lynx. "Nicole, activate Protocol #23!" She ordered. Nicole erupted from SPD's hand and smiled stoically.

"Of course, SPD." She answered. Robo-Amy stumbled but managed to keep balance as a black rectangular object levitated over her head. A blue light engulfed the damaged robot and suspended her in animation. Robo-Amy tried to move but quickly realized that resistance was futile.

"ERROR! UNABLE TO MOVE! ERROR!" She shrieked. Her eyes glowed a bright orange before the visor was engulfed in a depower shade of black. Cheers erupted from the villagers; Robo-Amy had been defeated. Both Shade and SNT couldn't help but feel impressed at the sheer ease the robotic terrorist was beaten. Clearly, these villagers were more capable than your average civilian. SPD took a deep breath and turned towards Wave.

"Wave, I want you to bring SNT to this 'Coldsteel,' If Marine believes she can beat him then we have to put our trust in her." She claimed. Wave frowned as she looked at SNT. She couldn't understand why Marine would place so much trust in someone she hadn't even known for a day. SNT looked back at Wave, result shined with her pupils. Wave sighed but nodded. SPD turned around, "Maria, Perci, Griffin, help me decipher what this robot knows about the Emperor. We might learn something useful." She ordered.

"Yes Mam!" They spoke in unison. SPD nodded and then turned towards everyone else.

"As for the rest of you, I want my right half to focus on rescuing the injured. My Left will go out and tell anybody that is still outside to stay indoors until Coldsteel is defeated." She ordered stoically. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Mam!" Everyone cheered. SPD smiled as she brushed her hair back. Finally, Knothole Village was ready to fight back.

"Alright then, let's make Sally Acorn proud!" She shouted. Cheers once again erupted from the crowd as everybody went to do their assigned task. Seeing everyone be so determined to do what is right warmed SNT's heart.

_ Guess I was wrong about them. They're not cowards, they just needed some encouragement.  _ She realized. Wave hovered above the hybrid and offered a hand.

"Hop on!" She said. SNT's smile widened as she accepted the Swallow's offer. Wave pulled her on the hoverboard which wobbled with the increased weight. SNT almost fell off but held onto Wave's waist to keep her footing. "Hold on tight! We'll get to Marine in a flash!" Wave confidently claimed. SNT held on tightly as the hoverboard flew out of the cafeteria like a missile. Shade watched as the hoverboard left her sight.

"See you on the battlefield." She spoke. A bubble formed around the echidna's body before she disappeared completely.


	6. Shadow Stars part 2

Defeat the Boss:

Coldsteel the Hedgehog

Storm recoils from an attack as his body was covered with cuts and bruises. The albatross stumbles back a couple feet but quickly bowed his head in subjugation.

"I'm sorry Boss! Please, it'll never happen again! I swear!" He begged. Coldsteel cracked his knuckles as he walked towards the bowing albatross. A sadistic smile formed on his face as he bent down to a seating position. Storm desperately avoided eye-contact as he refused to so much as look in Coldsteel's direction. The purple hedgehog chuckled as he stood up.

"I wanna forgive ya Storm, I truly do. It absolutely tears me apart to see ya like this." He claimed while petting the albatross like a pet. Storm closed his eyes, those words struck fear into his soul. "But!" Coldsteel continued with widened eyes. His smile grew wider as he kneed Storm across the face. A sense of euphoria came over the hedgehog's mind as he could feel the pain inflicted on his ally. The albatross wanted to fall to the ground and hold his beak in agony, but Coldsteel didn't give him that luxury. The sadistic hedgehog held onto a chunk of his hair so he could hear Storm's unfiltered cries. "I just don't understand how a big muscled moron like yourself..." He pulled Storm's face up and looked into his visor, taking the time to appreciate the fear present within his soul. "Have so much trouble with killing a damn child!" He roared angrily, slamming Storm the Albatross hard into the muddy ground.

"It's not my fault!" Storm grumbled within the soft and malleable soil. Coldsteel frowned at the mumbled words spoken from his underling. He pulled Storm up, allowing the albatross to breathe some fresh air. He then pulled Storm close, ensuring that he made eye contact. Storm whimpered in fear as he looked into the eyes of his boss. A dark shadowy aura encircled Coldsteel's body like a pitch-black typhoon.

"Why, oh why should I listen to a word you say?" He asked. His aura grew until it seemingly enveloped the world they stood on. Storm watched as the aura reached out to him like a drowning arm.

**EDGE**

Storm gritted his teeth as he could feel something sharp slash across his forehead. Blood leaked out of the wound as the albatross had no choice but to ignore this pain. The punishment for not doing so was something he'd rather not find out.

"Th... that brat wore some type of ring!" He revealed. Coldsteel's smile faltered.

"Hang on, did you say ring?" He asked. Coldsteel's aura stabbed into Storm's right shoulder, twisting and turning to invoke as much pain into the albatross as possible. Storm couldn't help but flinch which enticed Coldsteel to slap him across the face. "Hey, keep it together buddy! Did this punk have a ring or not?" He growled. Storm took a deep breath and worked through pain so that he could nod. A small shine sparked within Coldsteel's crimson eyes as he shifted his sight towards the charred raccoon.

Finally, the aura subsided, much to Storm's relief. Coldsteel closed his eyes and chuckled.  _ Well well well... must be my lucky day! _ He thought. The hedgehog faced his lackey once more and gave him a pat on the head. "Well done Storm!" He said cheerfully. He then opened his eyes and ripped the visor off of Storm's face.

"Ah..." Storm gasped. His widened eyes were nothing but a sheet of pure darkness,without a single pupil present. Finally, Coldsteel releases his grip on Storm and leaves him on the ground bleeding. He then walked over to Marine, still unconscious from being struck by lightning. The hedgehog suddenly stops himself as he suddenly felt hot. That didn't sit right with him as this rain should've kept things cool. Coldsteel instinctively jumped back as fire erupted from his previous spot.

_ Fire? But that's impossible! _ He thought, just then he was struck by a powerful heatwave. It's intensity seared Coldsteel's fur but was quickly snuffed out by the rain. The purple hedgehog landed on the muddy ground with a wet splash. His crimson eyes looked towards the source and was shocked to see Percival, bleeding profusely but standing through sheer willpower.

"You... shall not... lay a hand on her!" The Chief growled. Fire sparked from her body as her golden eyes were filled with complete malice. Coldsteel gritted his teeth.

"You are still up eh? I'll make you regret that!" He growled before charging up a spin-dash. Percival clenched her hands into fists as her entire body ached in unfathomable pain. She could barely move and the rain weakened her powers greatly. Even then, she held her sword high and stood her ground.

"A knight... never... flees!" She panted.

"Then die with your honor!" Coldsteel roared as he released his spin dash. A white flash of light blinded the scenery as Coldsteel felt a collision. "What?" He gasped in shock. There were no sounds of ripped flesh or broken bones, instead, he felt something solid hold him back. Percival's eyes widened as the light faded. In front of her stood Shade the echidna using her energy blade to hold Coldsteel back.

"Shade?" Percival gasped. Shade had gritted her teeth as she used every ounce of strength in her body to protect the chief.

"Nobody is dying on my watch!" Shade claimed. Coldsteel scoffed at her words, their bond sickened him to his core.

"Tch, we'll see about that!" He growled. Shade's eyes widened as Coldsteel suddenly released his ball form and swept the echidna off her feet. The sadistic hedgehog then landed a skyward kick to her jaw which propelled her upwards. Coldsteel wasn't done yet, he leapt into the air in ball form and unleashed a homing attack.

"Ha!" SNT grunted before intercepting Coldsteel with a well-timed spin dash.

"Oh, what now?" He growled. Shade took that opportunity to land on her hands and use her falling momentum to push her body off the ground so that she could flip onto her feet. She slid through the mud and stopped in front of Percival. A grin formed on the echidna's face as she watched both SNT and Coldsteel land.

"Took you long enough." She joked. SNT smiled at Shade but her eyes quickly focused on Marine's body. She wasn't moving and her fur was completely charred.

"Marine!" SNT Gasped. The hybrid quickly ran over to her friend and placed her ear on the child's chest. Coldsteel gazed upon his new opponent as the rain darkened her fur however, the purple hedgehog could tell that there was something different about SNT, something  _ special _ . A grin formed on the sadist's face.

"Don't waste your time, that little brat took a lightning bolt to the face. Heh heh... She's completely dead!" He laughed. SNT's ears twitched as she heard something, it was faint but the hybrid could tell that it was a heartbeat.

"Oh thank goodness, she's alive!" She sighed in relief. A relieved smile formed on Shade's face; they weren't too late.

"What?" Coldsteel growled. It didn't seem possible to him, there was no way anybody could survive being struck by lightning. Coldsteel clenched his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. Just then Wave flew in with her hoverboard. Her eyes widened at the sight of an injured albatross lying face first in the mud.

"No way, Storm?" She gasped. Coldsteel glanced at the swallow as she held Storm's head on her lap. "What happened to you?" Wave panicked. Storm gasped and gagged as he finally could breathe. The albatross weakly opened his eyes to be greeted with an old friend.

"W... Wave... is that... you?" He struggled to ask. A smile formed on the Swallow's face; her friend was still alive.

"Jeez I can't leave you idiots alone can I?" She joked. Storm's body shivered as tears formed in his eyes.

"Where are you?... I hear you... but I can't see you." Storm struggled to say. Wave noticed the lack of pupils in his friend's eyes. He was so badly beaten, that it was hard for her to believe he was once apart of the Babylon rogues—the family she used to be a part of.

"What's with the water works? Missed me that much?" Wave asked with a nervous chuckle. Storm listened to her voice and used that to direct his hand and grasp the swallow's shoulder.

"Get out of here Wave, please!" He begged. Confusion plagued Wave's mind.

"What are you saying? Look at you, you're a mess! Why should I run away?" She asked. Storm coughed, barely staying conscious.

"They'll kill you... they'll kill everybody that gets in their way. They... they got Jet..." Storm cried. A smug grin formed on Coldsteel's face as he heard his former ally weep. Wave frowned at the name of her leader, a hawk she was very close to.

"Jet? Who got Jet? Storm, who are you talking about?" Wave asked.

"Broken promises, don't trust them... please... don't let them... take you too...please...please...please..." Storm begged before closing his eyes. Wave was dumbfounded as the albatross' grip lessened until it fell off her shoulder entirely. Coldsteel laughed maniacally, finding Storm's final request to be humorous.

"'Surrender your allegiance to the Emperor and join the Shadow Stars. Doing so grants you protection from any possible harm.' That's what I told him. One simple lie to have him groveling at my feet. Truly, he was dimwit, all the way to the bitter end!" Coldsteel informed. Wave glared at the cold-hearted hedgehog, unable to believe anybody could be capable of such cruelty.

"You did this to him?" Wave asked. Coldsteel pointed towards himself with a toothy grin.

"He became an inconvenience, so I decided to throw him away like the garbage that he is." He explained. Wave gritted her teeth as she hugged her unconscious friend. Shade felt her fist tremble as she tried to hold herself back.

"Treating your allies like dirt..." Coldsteel shifted his gaze towards the echidna he came here for. Her head was low and she seemed to be shaking, not out of fear, but of anger. "People like you..." She growled. Shade glared down daggers at Coldsteel, her sight filled with nothing but the color red. "Don't deserve to live!" She announced before lunging at the purple hedgehog with the full intent to kill.

"No Shade!" SNT barked. Shade quickly halted in her tracks, taken aback by the words spoken by the hybrid. She looked at her in complete disbelief, thinking that this monster deserved to die no matter what. Coldsteel looked down at the hybrid in morbid curiosity. SNT placed Marine gently onto the ground and stood to her feet. She looked towards Coldsteel, her face shrouded in darkness. "He's mine." She claimed. Lightning illuminated the area for only a second, but that small frame of time was enough for everyone to see SNT glaring intensely at the purple hedgehog. Coldsteel found this amusing and laughed.

"What's wrong little sissy? Did I hurt your poor wittle feelings?" He joked. SNT's expression didn't change, she merely walked closer to the purple hedgehog without any indication of doubt.

"Hmm... how clever... you wear those pants to hide how little of a man you are." She sassed.

"What?" Coldsteel growled. SNT continued to walk with her expressionless face.

"Though that should've been obvious considering you marked up your face to come across as original." She claimed. Coldsteel couldn't believe what he was hearing, this...thing had disrespected him, and that was something he could not allow. Coldsteel stretched his right arm out and pointed at the hybrid.

"You damn brat, drown in darkness!" He roared. The purple hedgehog looked into SNT's eyes just as she did with him. His black aura erupted from his body and approached his adversary.

**Edge**

"No, she'll be sliced to bits if she gets close to him!" Percival shouted. Shade glanced at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about? I met him face to face and was fine." Shade asked. Percival tried to take a step closer but her injuries caused her to collapse into Shade's arms. "Hey, you shouldn't be moving with wounds like these." She advised. Percival turned to the echidna.

"I don't know how to explain it, but when Coldsteel approached me, I suddenly felt a thousand knives cutting into my body. It's what he did to his own ally..." Percival explained. "Please, we have to warn Lady SNT!" She claimed. Shade looked at the chief in confusion, was that what she saw Coldsteel do to her? She looked at SNT, who appeared so calm as if everything was under control. Coldsteel's dark aura was almost upon her so she halted her steps and slid royal fortune across her wrist. Coldsteel made a toothy grin as he couldn't wait to see SNT writhe in pain. His eyes widened as he witnessed SNT grow a pink glittering aura.

**SPECIAL**

The two auras clashed against each other which sprouted multiple sparks as well as the echoed sound of a blade being swung around. Even raindrops were destroyed by the energy released by the two-reality bending clash of essence. The two unusual animals glared at each other as their auras attempt to overpower the opposition. Coldsteel couldn't believe what was happening, all this time he thought he was the only one with this type of power.

"I see now... you're like me." He realized as he walked towards her.

"Really, all I see is a wannabe edge lord." SNT sassed as she did the same. In truth however, there was a tiny piece of her that was glad to finally meet someone with a power similar to her own. But simply having something in common wouldn't deter her from teaching this sadist a lesson.

**Edge ** **SPECIAL**

The closer these two got to one another, the stronger their auras became and so did the discharge. Everybody outside stared at the spectacle in complete awe. The left side had a wave of darkness clashing against the glittering pink equivalent, the center of their clash was a white unstable pulse that released the disastrous energy to the outside world. Everything within the darkness was sliced into bits as life flourished within the glitter.

** Edge** **SPECIAL**

Suddenly, the ground next to Shade and Percival was cleaved as if struck by a buster sword. Had the discharged energy gotten any closer than they would've ended up as casualties.

"Tis no longer safe! We must leave this task to Lady SNT!" Percival shouted. Shade looked at the clashing auras, astonished by how powerful it was with the two being at a distance. If they were too clash though, Shade didn't even want to think about the results.

"Alright," she agreed. Her sights set upon Marine the Raccoon.

**Edge ** **SPECIAL**

Wave looked at the spectacle from the other side, her eyes bedazzled at the sight of their awesome power. Suddenly, a slash of Coldsteel's aura sliced through a piece of her hair, which was enough to snap the Swallow back to reality.

"Wow, remind me to never pick on this girl again." She commented. Wave could tell however that it wasn't safe for her to be here, especially with someone like Storm being unconscious. She had her hover board lift the giant albatross before standing on her greatest invention herself. Wave gave one last look at the clashing auras and without saying a word, she left.

**Edge** **SPECIAL**

Finally, the two were within arms distance. They both glared into each other's eyes as their auras seemingly distorted reality. Plants were growing only to be sliced into bits, the darkness fought against the glittering light as the two kept eye contact. Due to how close they were however, the discharged energy began to leak through their auras. Blood rushed to Coldsteel's cheeks to make a vibrant blush; a stray piece of darkness slashed across SNT's left cheek which leaked out small drops of blood. Unstable energy danced around them, mixing into something that distorted reality around the area. Despite the way their auras were affecting them, both Coldsteel and SNT kept the same straight face. Their eyes dared the other to make the first move, but they both knew better.

"Ready to cry for mommy, sissy?" Coldsteel taunted. SNT smirked at him.

"Oh, trust me, I'm going to make sure you cry your eyeliner out after this." She promised.

"Heh, I'll make you eat those words!" Coldsteel growled.

**EdgeSPECIAL**

Both of their auras erupted, breaking the very earth they stand upon as they readied their attack. SNT threw the first punch which Coldsteel brushed away with the back of his hand, he then used his free one to strike SNT across the face. The hybrid grunted as she was sent flying. Coldsteel landed within the crater formed by their initial clash and dashed toward the airborne hybrid. SNT brushed her hand against her cheek and took flight. She looked down to observe the running hedgehog who still radiated a parasitic black aura. SNT noticed the dried stains of blood present on her white gloves.

_ Can't afford to touch his aura.  _ She realized. Thunder roared around her as the relentless rain became more and more intense by the second. Coldsteel smiled at the sight of harsh rain and held up a large water blue ring.

"Strike her down!" He roared. Electricity built up from the clouds above, before being discharged as a powerful lightning bolt. SNT's increased reflexes allowed her to look up in shock as the embodiment of nature's wrath struck her in the blink of an eye. SNT could feel her body burn as the electrical discharge pulsed throughout her body. The hybrid screamed in agony, but she kept it together. Her eyes lit up as she refused to go down so easily.

SNT spun into a ball and rotated in place. Marine's royal fortune glowed an aquatic pink aura that mixed with SNT's own natural. Her rotation became faster and faster, so fast that the lightning slowly encircled her body like a tornado.

"What the?" Coldsteel gasped. SNT unleashed her charged up spin dash, the lightning covered her body like a mach cone as she plummeted towards the sadistic hedgehog. Coldsteel quickly jumped back to avoid the electrified spin-dash. The attack collided with the ground; its impact unleashed a shock wave that took Coldsteel by surprise.  _ She hit me with my own attack?  _ He thought. The shockwave spread like an emp, shutting off the power in all nearby shelters while blowing the trees beyond the village gate. Coldsteel's eyes widened as he noticed SNT in a professional marathon runner position as the grass around her sparked with small electrical shocks.

"Take this!" The hybrid yelled before lunging off the ground at supersonic speed that uprooted the grass next to her back foot. Coldsteel tried to move but the electricity caused his muscle tendons to spasm, which left him open for SNT to drop kick him in the stomach.

"Agh!" The hedgehog grunted as the attack flung him back, spiraling into the ground with a trail of mud and dirt. SNT landed on her feet and looked down upon the purple hedgehog, who shook at the pain he felt.

"Is that all you got, Coldsteel?" She taunted. Coldsteel glared at the hybrid, she only landed one attack and yet she's acting as if victory was guaranteed. The leader of the Shadow Stars stood to his feet.

"You... brat! I'll kill you!" He claimed. SNT returned the gaze with an equally intensified glare.

"Focus honey, make sure I'm the only one being cut by your edge." She snarked. Coldsteel had heard enough. He bellowed an animalistic roar before charging at the Hybrid at full speed. A smirk formed on SNT's face; this was exactly what she wanted. The hybrid turned around and ran outside of the village gate to bait her opponent. Coldsteel didn't care about the village anymore and followed after the hybrid without a second thought.

A convenient pathway of trees laid ahead of SNT as she ran across the forest. The crackle of thunder and lightning echoed through the distant sky as SNT noticed Coldsteel gaining on her.

_ Perfect! _ She thought. Now she didn't have to worry about putting innocent lives in danger. SNT slid across the ground, splashing muddy water into the air as she drifted around to face Coldsteel head on. Their eyes met once again to which unleashed their auras. Coldsteel didn't slow down, in fact his speed increased as he wanted nothing more than to bulldoze through the hybrid. SNT didn't back down from the challenge, she dashed towards the sadistic hedgehog at full speed. Only raindrops stood between the two as they left a trail of wet dust behind.

The two unstoppable forces clashed against one another, pushing their speed and fortitude to the limit as they stare into each other's eyes with their conflicting auras. Coldsteel wasn't one to compare power as he used his water blue ring to manipulate the raindrops to build up water beneath SNT's feet. The Hybrid gasped as her foot slipped off the ground.

_ Oh no!  _ SNT panicked. A sadistic grin formed on Coldsteel's face as his eyes stared deep into the hybrid's soul.

**EDGE**

The sadistic hedgehog's aura slashed at SNT in all directions, all she could do was guard herself and let her opponent's presence cut her body. Every slash let out a small spray of blood which elicited a pained groan from the hybrid. Coldsteel wasn't one for patience as he finished off his onslaught by bashing SNT with his right shoulder.

"Erg!" SNT grunts before dragging her hand through the ground to halt her momentum. Suddenly, the muddy water rose and reached for the hybrid's hand. With a loud gasp, SNT pushed herself off the ground just as the mud sprouted out sharp icy spikes. _ What's going on? _ She wondered, using her tails to stay in mid-air. The muddy icicles slowly melted into a giant dirty bubble which floated above Coldsteel as his aquatic ring glowed within the rainy darkness. The ring's luminescence intensified as the very rain itself formed into multiple aquatic spheres.

"Enough running sissy, let's see how well ya can dodge." Coldsteel chuckled. He stretched his hand forward and commanded the bubbles to attack SNT.

"Wait, that's it!" SNT realized. She went skyward to dodge some of the clear bubbles and moved to the right to dodge another.  _ That ring must give him control over the water.  _ She thought. Coldsteel lifted the ring skyward and commanded the lightning to once again strike down upon SNT. The hybrid closed her eyes and allowed royal fortune to increase her senses. Doing this, she managed to dodge a couple bubbles and dashed away from the lightning strike. Finally, Coldsteel unleashed his muddy bubble but this time he altered its shape into a snakelike blast. SNT opened her eyes as she curled into a ball and drifted across the ground to avoid the attack. The hybrid then spin dashed towards Coldsteel.

"Pshhh...." He scoffed. With a raised arm, Coldsteel sprouted the mud in front of him to form a shield. That wasn't all though, the muddy blast SNT dodged receded back into a bubble before being blasted towards the hybrid once again. SNT wasn't a fool though, she swiftly drifted around the muddy shield and therefore Coldsteel and leapt at his back with a raised fist. "Nothing personnel..." the purple hedgehog laughed as he turned around and caught SNT by the face. The sudden halt blew against the muddy shield and forced it to collapse. "Kid! You're way to predictable!" He claimed. SNT grunted as she pulled against Coldsteel's hand. The purple hedgehog once again looked into SNT's eyes only to feel a sudden rush of blood build up within his cheeks.

SNT made eye contact before Coldsteel had even finished talking. Now her aura took the initiative and enveloped the sadist's mind.

"You... your..." Coldsteel tripped over his own words, feeling an overwhelming sensation suddenly latch itself tightly on his black heart. Behind his hand, SNT smiled as the muddy bubble blast struck its user in the back. Coldsteel was too flustered to tank the blast as its momentum knocked his body forward and loosened his grip. SNT pulled her opponent's hand off and used his arm to strike a spinning side kick to his forehead. The attack was strong enough to knock Coldsteel off his feet. SNT wasn't done with him yet, she jumped into the air and slammed her body into Coldsteel's chest with a homing attack. Coldsteel felt the wind left his lungs as he crashed into the ground with a giant splash. The gray sea of clouds crackled one final time before dispersing from the heavens to allow the moon to shine upon the two fighters.

SNT breathed heavily as she stood on all-fours, her body ached to the point where it hurt to so much as stand. Below her laid Coldsteel, flat on his back with a bewildered look on his face. SNT brought herself up to her knees, taking as much time as she could to catch her breath.

"You... defeated me..." Coldsteel muttered. SNT looked at him with a worried expression. He wasn't moving, simply looking at the clear night sky in complete and utter shock. "Me... beaten?" He spoke. SNT stood to her feet holding her right arm as she could feel nothing but pain.

"Coldsteel..." SNT said. Looking at the motionless, defeated hedgehog with both disdain and pity.

"How... How could you be so strong?" He asked. His eyes narrowed towards the hybrid. SNT took a deep breath and answered his question.

"That's simple, it's because of my friends..." She explained. SNT then showed Coldsteel her bracelet. "Like my friend Marine, she invented this bracelet to unleash more of my power. I wouldn't have stood a chance against you if it wasn't for her." She clarified.

"Friends?" Coldsteel echoed. Suddenly he began to chuckle, which slowly turned into a deranged cackle. An aquatic blue glow caught SNT's attention as she turned her sights towards the water blue ring barely out of Coldsteel's grasp. The purple hedgehog stretched his hand towards it while laughing as though he lost his mind.

"No!" SNT shrieked, she threw her body towards the ring with an extended hand.

"Don't make me laugh!" Coldsteel roared. The two managed to grab onto the blue ring simultaneously which overfeed the ring with their emotional conflict. Suddenly, black electrical energy discharged from the rings texture as a swell of emotions flung onto the two souls. All water within a 2-mile radius shot towards the distance between the two and erupted into an aquatic explosion. The explosion rocked the ground and uprooted a couple frail trees. Both SNT and Coldsteel were rocketed away as they're backs slammed hard against the sturdy barks of stubborn trees. Eventually, the explosion ceased as the very cause floated at the epicenter of the two that desired to collect it. SNT groaned as she fell on her bottom, her body felt like hell.

"What was that?" SNT panted, slowly standing to her feet with one eye closed. Coldsteel was seemingly in the same position only you could tell that his anger was the only thing that kept him in this fight.

"All of you people with your stupid speeches about friendship and love. Darkness is the only company I need." He growled. SNT gritted her teeth, she didn't know how much longer Marine's royal fortune could go without being overtaxed. The hybrid's eyes widened as Coldsteel took a step forward. "Everyone else can go to hell for all I care! My darkness will drown this world and there's nothing you or Order can do to stop me!" He roared. SNT couldn't believe the fortitude Coldsteel still had after their battle. The hybrid shook away her nerves and stretched her right arm towards Coldsteel.

"Looks like I don't have a choice, I'm sorry Marine." SNT thought aloud. She took a deep breath and focused on her reality-bending aura. This in turn pushed Royal Fortune to its absolute limits.

"NOW DIE!" Coldsteel cried, unleashing the full power of his aura.

**EDGE**

Darkness devoured the moon light as it enveloped SNT's body. Cuts and stab wounds appeared all over her, but she kept her focus on royal fortune despite the pain.

"Coldsteel, I think I finally understand." SNT claimed. Her aura grew in conjunction with the illuminating light of royal fortune. The two auras mixed into each other, becoming an intense aquatic pink glitter that grew like the light of the morning sun. "I now understand your anger, the very reason why your team is called the Shadow Stars." She announced, as her aura shielded her from Coldsteel's presence. The aura grew until it crashed against the ever-spreading darkness. Thanks to the power increase, SNT's aura shattered the Sadist's as if it were made of glass. Coldsteel's eyes widened as his deadly darkness shattered into pieces.

**SPECIAL**

"No...." Coldsteel gasped in disbelief. SNT glared at him with an unphased expression.

"Coldsteel, you're mad because the truth is...no matter how hard you try. No matter what power you manage to obtain. In the end, you will always be in someone else's shadow." She explained. Coldsteel's eyes shrank as he could feel SNT looking right through him. For a second, Coldsteel hallucinated SNT into a being engulfed in hellish flames. Two golden eyes stared into his soul with the same expression as SNT. The purple hedgehog's body shook, rage building up inside his very being.

"No..." He mumbled. Tears flowing down his violet muzzle as he remembers being defeated by his superior. He could never prove how much potential he held as everyone would always manage to beat him and take his spotlight. He squeezed his fingernails deep within his skin as nothing but hatred took over his mind.  _ I won't be overshadowed by him ever again!  _ He raged. With a glare Coldsteel lunged at SNT with his fist raised to dish out one last punch. "YOU'RE WRONG!" He roared. SNT ducked under the hedgehog's body and struck him hard in the gut. The impact unleashed a strong gust of wind to erupt and rip into the air from the hedgehog's back.

"It's over Coldsteel, I'm sorry." She stated. Marine's Royal Fortune's glow died down before it shattered into a million pieces. Coldsteel's eyes widened before slowly closing into unconsciousness. SNT closed her eyes and walked away from her opponent as he collapsed onto the ground. Beaten.

**Mission Complete!**

Friends: **6**

Rank: ** *******

SNT: This was for you, Marine.

SNT walked away from the battle, holding onto her bleeding body as she claimed victory. Her body was heavily wounded and the battle had left her completely exhausted.

"AH!" SNT shrieked as a bright aqua blue light blinded her. The glow quickly dimmed down until the hybrid could see the shape of the light's source. "It's Coldsteel's ring!" She gasped. The aqua blue ring floated into the palm of SNT's hand. Black energy discharged from the ring and enveloped the hybrid's sense with a complete euphoria of pleasure. "Ah! Wha.... wha...what's.... G...going..." She reacted. The energy and emotion granted into her violently until SNT's mind went numb. "ON!" She gasped before her mind completely blacks out.

**SNT has acquired the Ring of Pleasure!**

When the hybrid opens her eyes, she is greeted within the comfort of a warm blue blanket. Sunlight beamed through the porch which displayed the beautiful outside world. A world where birds sang a wonderful tune about the wonders of life. Confusion plagued the hybrid as she felt a wave of familiarity by this interior structure of a bedroom.

"This place... it's... " She stumbled and raised from the bedsheets. After a good stretch, she walked into the porch. From there she saw the village once more; the cafeteria, the mechanic workshop and even the weapons foundry. SNT's curious stare focused upon the center of the village which laid a crater the size of the average bedroom. The concrete and stone tablets that once fed onto the pathway were completely destroyed. SNT then looked upon the cafeteria ceiling, sure enough, there were pillars in place to help some of the villagers visualize how they should fix the hole present. "Knothole." The hybrid finished.

"Enjoying the view?" A slight stoic voice asked. SNT's ears perked from the question and turned her sights to the source. To her right, stood Shade whom leaned against the wall with her head low and arms crossed.

"Shade?" SNT gasped. The echidna didn't look at her, she simply lifted her head and gazed upon the village with an unsatisfied frown. SNT held her right arm to her chest, anticipating what the echidna would say next. "What happened?" She asked. Shade took a deep breath.

"The Shadow Stars has either been captured or defeated." She explained. The echidna then turned her head slightly to the hybrid. "Congratulations, SNT the Angel. You saved Knothole Village." She claimed. SNT's eyes hardened.

"Angel?" She questioned. Shade closed her eyes and returned her gaze through the village.

"That's what these villagers are calling you. Everyone watched your battle against Coldsteel, noticing how you countered his darkness with your mere presence..." She began. SNT's eyes widened at the mere mention of her aura. She had been told in the past that her mere presence radiated some type of reality-bending energy that makes some people around her act differently. Normally nobody should be able to notice it, however the clash against Coldsteel's similar presence must've made this power viewable. "Now they see you as some type of messiah, saying that you're 'an angel sent down by heaven.'" Shade finished explaining.

"Angel huh?" SNT muttered. Her mind instantly went back to what Wave the Swallow told her in the cafeteria. The hybrid took a small glance at her two tails and then to her body.  _ What... am I?  _ She wondered. An orange raccoon flashed into her mind suddenly. "Marine!" She gasped. The last time SNT saw that child was when she had knocked on death's door. "How is she?" She asked. She had to know, no, she needed to know what happened to her little buddy. Shade hung her head low, her eyes glaring at the ground. Grief held a firm grip around SNT's heart as tears swelled up from her pupils. "No... please... Shade... " She choked. Shade's eyes darkened as she clenched her teeth. SNT backed away, refusing to accept the implications of it all. "No... Marine... I... I..."

"Surprise!" A spunky voice shouted. Suddenly, a bandaged Marine leapt off the ceiling and hugged SNT.

"Wha-Marine?" The hybrid gasped, confusion plagued her soul as the young spunky child laughed.

"Ha! Your face was a real ripper just now!" Marine chuckled. SNT looked at Shade whom giggled slightly as if amused by the dirty trick they had just pulled.

"Forgive me, SNT the angel. But Marine insisted." The echidna explained with a small grin. SNT looked at Marine in bewilderment.

"Marine!" She shouted, heart-broken. Marine laughed harder as she had waited patiently to pull this prank for a week now.

"Consider it payback for breakin' my fair dinkum invention! Worth every penny." She claimed. SNT's face flushed a bright red as both Marine and Shade treated her like a laughing stock.

"You guys are the worst!" The hybrid pouted with raised shoulders. She pushed Marine off of her and stormed her way to the house exit, steam blowing out of her ears as she couldn't help but be mad.

"Oh com'on SNT, I was only playin!" The raccoon chuckled. She tried to walk to her friend only for her injuries to spasm into pain. SNT's rage halted however, her ears fully erected as a new warm feeling filled her heart.

"Marine..." She stuttered. Marine gritted her teeth and fought through the pain to look at the hybrid.

"Wass-ergh... up?" She asked, annoyed by her uncooperative body. SNT turned around and gazed upon Marine with a surprised expression of uncertainty.

"Did you... just call me, SNT?" She asked. Marine's eyes softened as she managed to smile despite the pain.

"Of course sheila, you're no newcomer anymore. Now SNT, you're my friend." She claimed. A warm tearful smile formed across SNT's face. Her heart filled with joy.

"I hate to interrupt this tender moment..." Shade barged in. Her face serious and professional. "But I didn't just come here to play a prank on you SNT, the angel." She claimed. The two friends looked at Shade with curiosity in their eyes. "Now that you're up and well, I think you should pay Chief Percival a visit. She has summoned you after all." The echidna advised. SNT's eyes hardened.

_ What would the chief want with me? _ She wondered. Without another word, the hybrid followed Shade into the main chambers of the village chief which was located in the main center building of the residential area. SNT walked in alone, the chief had only summoned her presence which meant that the hybrid was the only one given permission to enter. Inside, SNT was surprised to find that it was a simple bedroom with a bed and a desk. Percival's armor and her sword were hung on the walls, so that the chief could gaze upon them every morning wake. On the desk laid a giant aquatic blue ring that shone like a lamplight. SNT's eyes widened as she looked upon the ring, it was the one Coldsteel used to manipulate the weather as well as command water. The hybrid scanned the room, however there doesn't seem to be a soul in sight. "Hello?" SNT called. There was no answer.  _ Maybe Percival took a morning walk? _ She wondered.

"Erm... state thy name and purpose for intruding." A grumbled voice asked. SNT's eyes shifted towards the bed, the blankets pulsed as though there was a person lying beneath them.

"Umm... my name is SNT. I was told that you have summoned me?" The hybrid asked. The blankets ruffled until a purple furry head popped out with bandages wrapped around her head. It was hard for SNT to tell, however she knew that it had to be Percival as her face was the only thing visible. The knight had thick black eye lashes and golden yellow eyes, a single red gem was present of her forehead.

"Ah yes, lady SNT, the Angel of Knothole Village. Come closer so I can have a better look at you." She said with a weak smile. SNT hesitated for a second but walked up to the bedridden chief and knelt down to talk face to face.

"Is this good?" She asked. Percival slowly nodded her head and closed her eyes to take a deep breath.

"How remarkable... only a few nights and you have recovered. You truly are something else, Lady SNT." She commented. SNT smiled as she let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank you, ma'am. I really appreciate it." She said, respectfully. Percival chuckled, amused by the effort the hybrid put into her words to sound proper. Almost makes her feel bad for what she was about to do.

"So, when are you able to leave?" Percival asked. SNT's eyes widened in confusion.

"I'm sorry, what?" She questioned. Percival's smile turned into a frown.

"Forgive me, Lady SNT. However, you are hereby exiled from Knothole Village, indefinitely!" She clarified. 


	7. Farewell Knothole Village

# Chapter 4:

## Farewell Knothole Village

"What!?!" SNT gasped, completely taken aback by the bedridden chief's words. "I'm exiled?" She asked. Chief Percival's expression didn't change as her eyes intently stared at the light blue hybrid.

"I'm afraid so, Lady SNT,” she confirmed. SNT took a step back and brought her right arm to her chest. She had never believed things would get this far. At worst, she believed Percival would scold her for the damages inflicted upon the village, but this... It seemed way too extreme of a punishment for the angel of Knothole Village.

"No," she denied. "There has to be some kind of mistake!" The angel pleaded. With a sigh, Percival looked up towards the dark blue ceiling and closed her eyes. Her body was still weak, numbed to the point where she felt like a deceased spirit clinging desperately onto the mortal realm. After collecting her thoughts, the violet feline opened her eyes.

"Believe what I shall say, Lady SNT. Tis... decision as it were, did not come to past upon my word alone. Squire Spd and Lady Nicole both agreed upon this sentiment. It simply had to be done." She explained. SNT shook her head.

"W...why? Didn't I save the village? Didn't I beat Coldsteel?" She tried to argue as a somber feeling plagued her soul. _ Am I really going to be alone again? _ She feared. Percival's eyes shifted towards the person hailed as the village's guardian angel. Her eyes displayed nothing but heartache, something the chief knew all too well.

"Tis I hadde not forgotten," she earnestly claimed. SNT's eyes hardened as the bedridden knight looked away, instead, they laid upon her armor which was heavily damaged from the battle. Percival then looked towards the aqua blue ring, which seemed to radiate bright blue energy. She closed her eyes as memories of failure returned to her consciousness, until she took a deep breath. "However, due to your noble act of bravery. Lady SNT... Afraid as I am to say this, I must now consider you a threat to my village's safety." She explained.

"Thr... threat?" SNT echoed in shock. Percival looked towards the angel of her village and nodded solemnly.

"Listen, fair angel. While you recovered from your battle, Maria and Lady Nicole found some vexing information hidden within the pink automaton." The recovering knight began. The words 'pink automaton' perplexed the angel, until her mind suddenly flashed back to Robo-Amy.

_ Pink Automaton, does she mean that robot Spd captured? _SNT wondered. She remembered hearing Spd tell Maria to tinker with the pink robot before she left to confront Coldsteel.

"From what I could understand, before it ceased all function that pink automaton sent some type of signal, codenamed: Orange." Percival continued.

"Orange, how creative..." SNT sarcastically snarked under her breath. Percival did not notice the remark and simply continued to relay her reasoning.

"Maria believes it to be an SOS signal. No doubt sent to the Emperor." She explained. SNT's eyes widened upon hearing that word yet again.

_ Emperor... Spd mentioned this person as well... _ She thought. From the moment she had awakened in this world, SNT noticed that the villagers kept on mentioning things that were unusual; a multiverse, someone named Sally Acorn, but most importantly an emperor everyone seemed to be afraid of. The Angel has had her fair share of dimensional travels in the past; some she enjoyed, while others she'd rather not experience ever again. This world however, seemed different. Almost as if this world had existed for a short amount of time. _ No, that can't be. _SNT denied. Regardless, the angel decided to focus her thoughts into the main subject that caught her curiosity. "Say Percival, if you don't mind me asking. Who is the Emperor?" She asked. Percival gritted her teeth as she thought about the time she tagged along with Sally Acorn's Freedom Fighters, which then shifted towards her first confrontation with the Emperor.

"The Emperor... he is a vile and cruel man that suppresses freedom in his kingdom of Mobius. He is the ruler of this planet, not by honor but through absolute power. The Shadow Stars that brought devastation to our land, serve his retainers as mere lackeys." The chief explained. SNT felt a cold chill travel down her spine.

"L... lackeys? You gotta be kidding me!" She gasped in pure disbelief. The sheer amount and control held within Coldsteel the hedgehog, the man that pushed SNT to her very limits, was nothing but an underling to the actual threat. This fact sank within this angel's being, only now does she realize the severity of Percival's situation. "How... How could anyone be that strong?" She asked.

"I'm afraid that I do not possess the answer to that question. Only the suppressed people of Mobius Kingdom can give you that answer." She explained. SNT's eyes dropped to the ground.

"Mobius Kingdom, huh?" She muttered under her breath. Like Knothole Village, SNT had never heard of a kingdom with that name before. A sinking feeling of despair latched into her heart as she thought about traveling to this kingdom alone. Constantly having to watch her back for a ruler that would no doubt be searching for her. _ Sonic, Tails, Amy... I wish you were with me right now. _ She thought. Percival glanced at the Angel.

"Do you understand, Lady SNT? Thankful as I am that you defeated Coldsteel, however... I am afraid that action has to be considered an offense to the Emperor. No doubt he shall dispatch one of his strongest henchmen to find you. Trust me when I say, they can not discover you lurking within this village." She advised. SNT's eyes returned to Percival.

"What if they did?" She asked out of morbid curiosity. Percival's eyes dropped slightly to her covers, the sounds of screams being overtaken by scorching flames rung inside her head.

"Then... Knothole Village will be burned to ashes." She answered. Terror displayed itself perfectly upon SNT's face.

"Oh..." She muttered under her breath. The first thought that came into her mind was that dream she had. The anxious visions that plagued her ever since she laid foot within this village. _ Then... that dream I had... that warning... it wasn't about Coldsteel... _She realized.

"Please forgive me, Lady SNT. I can't lose this village, not after losing my comrades. Gawain... Lancelot... I refuse to let the Emperor take anyone else I hold dear away." Percival pleaded. SNT watched as tears began to swell up within the chief's eyes. The pain and sadness she must've went through was not lost upon the Angel. Loathed as she was to leave the village, SNT would never be able to forgive herself if she put everyone in the village in danger. So, she sucked up all of her concerns and doubts and held them within her chest.

"Don't worry Percival, I won't give him the chance. I promise." She said. Percival's teary eyes once again gazed upon the angel of Knothole Village. A thankful smile formed on her face as SNT gave her a solemn nod. Percival closed her eyes and chuckled. "Huh? What's so funny?" SNT asked.

"Forgive me, it's just that in some ways, you remind me of Princess Sally Acorn." Percival explained. SNT was surprised to hear this, based off the way the villagers talked about Sally Acorn. SNT held the impression that Sally was a righteous ruler that cared deeply about her village and people in general.

"Really?" She asked.

"Ai, I am truly grateful that she found you that day, " Percival nodded. SNT smiled warmly at the bedridden cat. "Fare thee well, Angel of Knothole Village. May good fortune be always on your side." Percival bid. SNT took a deep breath, accepting the fact that her destiny no longer resided in Knothole.

"Thank you, Percival." She appreciated. Percival opened her eyes and gave the angel a simple nod.

"Take Coldsteel's ring with you. It's your reward for beating that vile villain, after all." She advised. SNT turned towards the giant blue ring that laid on a table. Memories of her first experience lingered still, including the whirlwind of emotions it brought out. Doubt came into her mind as she remembers being unable to contain the experience the first time, which left the possibility that it might overwhelm her mind yet again. _ No! I can't afford to be afraid anymore. _She thought. SNT shook all concerns out of her head and walked over to the World Ring. She gazed upon its golden engravings, it's Aqua blue exterior reflected her face as SNT could feel herself breath heavily. She reached out towards the ring, passively jerking her hand back every so often. With a deep breath, SNT grabbed the world ring and pulled it closer.

"Huh? Nothing happened..." She mumbled. No discharge of energy, no displaced emotional surge. SNT observed the ring closer, only confusion was awoke within the angel's heart. _ I can still feel an intense energy coming from this ring, but... I'm okay, _she pondered. With this strange information in mind, SNT put the world ring in her person.

**ACQUIRED AQUA BLUE RING OF PLEASURE**

With one more sigh, SNT turned towards Chief Percival whom fell asleep due to mental exhaustion. SNT's smile shifted into a frown upon the sheer amount of information she learned today. "Good bye, Percival." She whispered. With a spark in her eye, SNT walked out of the building. The gentle gust of wind brushed against her face as she stepped outside. The angel closed her eyes and breathed the fresh air through her nose which soothed her nerves

"So, how did it go?" Shade asked from the side. SNT opened her eyes and looked up towards the bright blue sky.

"I... I have to leave this village..." She answered truthfully. Shade humphed as she walked ahead of the hybrid.

"So... you've been exiled too..." She pieced together. SNT looked at the echidna in shock.

"Too? You don't mean," She gasped. Shade looked at the hybrid, ensuring that she didn't make eye contact. With a simple nod, SNT understood.

"The Emperor is coming after me as well. Should've figured that my time in this village was limited, especially after Chief Sally was taken." Shade explained with a clenched fist. SNT's eyes dropped to the ground as she soon realized just how bad things were for this village. Sally Acorn must've been the person that cultivated this village's rebellious will, so the news of her capture probably snuffed it out. A quiet but sorrowful gust of wind blew past the two exiles. This may be the last time they ever set foot onto this land.

"Wait..." SNT realized. Something or to be more frank, someone seemed missing. SNT scanned the area for the second person that came here with her. "Where's Marine?" She asked. This situation felt really somber, something that Marine actively disliked.

"I informed her about what was likely to happen." Shade answered.

"What?" SNT gasped slightly. Shade nodded in confirmation.

"Hm... at first she got angry, wanted to give Percival a piece of her mind. But then... she ran off with a big grin on her face." She explained. A chuckle left her lips as she couldn't help but smile. "Marine the Raccoon, somehow she always manages to surprise me." Shade commented. The smile was contagious as even SNT couldn't help but smile at the thought of her little buddy plotting something.

"Yeah, I'm going to miss her." The angel agreed. Shade looked at the angel and dropped her frown as the two made eye contact. Once again, an aura emanated from SNT's body. A slightly whispering voice uttered a specific word that started with the letter S into the echidna's subconscious.

"Good lord, not again..." Shade muttered under her breath as her cheeks flushed a bright red. SNT's smile quickly became that of concern. She quickly looked away from the echidna to break the spell.

"Oh jeez, i'm sorry Shade!" She apologized. Shade quickly shook the bizarre feelings manufactured within her heart and glared daggers at the angel.

"Can you not?" She growled.

"Sorry, but I can't control it. It... sort of happens on its own..." SNT explained. Her mind immediately returned to Coldsteel the hedgehog. He commented about how similar their auras were, yet he was able to control his at will. SNT closed her eyes, wishing she would have talked to him some more. The things she could've learned from him if he wasn't such a bloodthirsty monster. Shade sucked her teeth and turned her back on the angel.

"Tch, regardless we shouldn't waste our time. The sooner we leave this village, the better." She claimed. SNT opened her eyes as the echidna started to leave, she gave one last look at the peaceful village she protected and with a sigh, the angel joined Shade. The two exiles walked over to the village gate and gazed out into the open pathway laid out by two parallel forests.

"Wait!" An exhausted voice cried. SNT and Shade turned around to see Maria Robotnik running frantically towards them. She appeared to be carrying a white duffle bag with a light blue wave pattern and deep blue straps.

"Maria?" SNT questioned. Shade glared at the hedgehog quizzically as she caught up to them. Maria held her hand out as she tried to catch her breath.

"What is the meaning of this?" Shade asked. Maria continued to breath heavily as she put her duffle bag gently on the ground. The blonde hedgehog looked up at the two exiles and gave them a tired smile.

"Ma... Marine told me... that... you two were... leaving..." She explained. SNT smiled warmly.

"So you came to wish us good luck? Aw, thank you Maria." She appreciated. Shade crossed her arms and turned around. All of this being a waste of valuable time to her.

"Huh?" Maria gasped before shaking her head. "No, no. That's not the reason I came..." She claimed. Maria stood up straight and stared into SNT's eyes. "Shade... SNT... can I come with you?" She asked with a serious tone. Both Shade and SNT looked at the hedgehog with wide eyes.

"Come with?" SNT gasped.

"Maria, you do realize that we can never return to this village? Once we step outside the gate, there is no turning back." Shade questioned. Maria stared at Shade with the same expression and nodded.

"I'm fully aware of that, Shade." Maria answered. Her eyes dropped to the floor as she recalled the images that flashed within her mind when confronted with her own mortality. A laboratory and scientist with a gray mustache. She had no idea who this old man was, but knew that he was someone important to her. "Let's just say, there are questions I need answers to." She returned her gaze to both Shade and SNT. "And I know for a fact that I won't find them here." She claimed. Shade looked into her eyes, a spark of determination present within those diamonds.

"If that is your choice, then fine. Just don't hold us back." She advised. A relieved smile formed on Maria's face.

"Really?" She chimed. Shade growled slightly as she looked away from the blonde hedgehog. SNT cheered at the idea of someone as smart and kind as Maria tagging along.

"Yay! I'm so happy we get to spend more time together, Maria!" She cheered with a joyful leap. Maria giggled at the angel's sudden enthusiasm.

"Same here, SNT." She agreed. Suddenly, a thought came into the hedgehog's head. "Oh, I almost forgot," She remembered. SNT made a curious expression as Maria pulled out a small present from the outside pocket of her duffle bag. "Marine wanted me to give this to you," She said. SNT's eyes widened as Maria gave her the present.

It was a round solid object wrapped in brown wrapping paper, held together by a jolly red ribbon. The words 'To: Essenti, From: Captain Marine." SNT chuckled at the spelling, she could tell Marine really tried to get her name. She untied the ribbon and unwrapped the present; inside was a cerulean wrist ring, with it came a note from her favorite raccoon.

_ To Essenti _,

_ Sorry I couldn't be there to wish you goodbye. That's right, I knew you were exiled from the very beginning. Didn't I tell you that you can't hide anything from your captain? Well actually, to tell you the truth Essenti. I haven't been honest with you, I didn't yell at you because of you picking a fight with Shade. The truth is, I was jealous of you. When I first met you, I thought you were like me. Alone, confused, maybe having a screw or two loose. But when I saw the way you talked to Maria, the happiness you two shared was amazing. I wanted that, I wanted it so bad. I tried to keep it bottled up, even with my invention being destroyed, I made sure to keep a brave face, I wanted to prove to this entire village that I was better than the bumbling idiot who always gets her friends in trouble. But I couldn't take it anymore, so I lashed out at you. I'm sorry. Everyone told me what you did to Coldsteel after hearing that I was in danger. You are such a good friend, Essenti and I completely do not deserve you. I wish I could join you in this adventure, but I can't. You won't believe this, but everyone respects me again. Apparently everyone found out that I invented 'royal fortune' and now look up to me. I finally earned everyone's trust again, and it's all thanks to you. I wanted to make something SPECIAL for you. A sort of thank you, for being the greatest friend I could ever ask for. I got both Griffin and Wave to help me build this new invention. It may not be as impressive as Royal Fortune, but I'm confident that you'll find it helpful. _

_ Safe travels, _

_ From: Captain Marine. _

_ P.S. SPD helped proofread this for me. She's a real ripper you know? _

"Thank you, Marine." SNT whispered quietly, a single tear twinkled down the cheek of her smiling face. The angel's viridian eyes gazed upon the blue wrist ring and with a nod, she put it on her left wrist. The ring fit perfectly; SNT looked at it from different angles and clenched her hand into a fist. Suddenly, a pink surge of energy discharged from the ring and morphed itself into the shape of a blade. SNT's eyes widened as the blade glowed brilliantly. With a simple motion, the blade receded. "Wow, this will really come in handy." She claimed. Maria opened her duffle bag and scrummage through its contents.

"That's not all..." She claimed. SNT looked at the blonde hedgehog as she pulled out some very familiar clothes. "Ta-dah!" Maria cheered. SNT's eyes widened, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"My clothes! You fixed them!" She gasped. SNT quickly grabbed them and ran away for only a second, before returning to the group wearing her most recognizable outfit. "Thank you so much, Maria. It's like I never fought Coldsteel to begin with." She claimed, whilst jumping in the air to perform a back flip. The outfit was less constrictive and allowed the angel to perform smoother movements then before. SNT flew over to Maria and hugged her tightly.

"Heh heh, thanks SNT. I'm glad you like it. I did my best to knit and wash your clothes for our departure." She giggled. Maria looked away from SNT for a moment, "Though I will say, I found it extremely difficult to clean your boxers." She claimed. SNT broke the hug in shock.

"My what?" She gasped.

"Your boxers, no matter how much I washed it, there would always be this weird smell." Maria explained. SNT's cheeks flushed a bright red as she remembered the intense feeling she had upon collecting the aqua blue ring.

"Y-yeah... That is really strange..." She attempted to laugh it off. Shade glared at her two companions in annoyance.

"Can you two concentrate for five seconds?" She barked. Maria laughed shyly while SNT put her hands on her hips.

"I don't know, can you chill out for five seconds?" She sassed. Shade glared angrily at the angel, taken aback by her comment.

"What did you say?" Shade growled. A grin formed on SNT's face as the echidna walked closer to her.

"You heard me." She said. Shade made sure not to make eye contact, but still got into the angel's face.

"Need I remind you the last time we fought?" She asked. SNT frowned at the question and stared at the echidna in annoyance.

"No, but do I have to remind you who saved you from Coldsteel? Oh right, that was me." She retorted. Shade gritted her teeth and clenched her hands into fists. SNT did the same, showing that she was ready for a fight.

"Guys stop!" Maria cried, she got in between the two and pushed them away from each other. "No fighting, okay? We're a team now, so we have to get along!" She claimed. Shade sucked her teeth and looked away from the two. SNT on the other hand continued to glare at the echidna.

"Fine!" Both SNT and Shade growled at the same time. Maria let out a deep sigh, she was too tired for this.

"Ugh... what did I get myself into?" She muttered under her breath. She picked up her duffle bag and walked up to both SNT and Shade as the three look out into the world beyond Knothole village. "You guys ready?" She asked, both SNT and Shade nodded. With a deep breath, the three took their first step outside the village, their first step to their true adventure.

**Three days ago**

The sky was dark without a shred of light to peek through the clouds. A damaged forest entrance eliminated the silence with the hums and chimes of the local locusts and beetles. Multiple trees had been uprooted, some were damaged by a terrible aquatic explosion. In the middle of this chaos, where a straightforward pathway stood at the center of the two damaged woods, laid the unconscious Coldsteel the hedgehog. The damage inflicted onto his body silenced his thoughts and replaced them with the somber experience of dreams.

Just as it seemed as though the dreaded Coldsteel would never awake, an unnatural shadow loomed over his battered and beaten body.

"Hmm...just as I predicted." A soft Arthurian voice spoke. "The Shadow Stars have been soundly defeated. What a shame." The voice claimed. A soft tender hand reached out from the shadows, wielding a staff with a glowing red gem held at the tip. The gem itself was encircled by a white ring with golden engravings. The figure within the shadows stabbed the ground with her staff, the crimson gem glowed within the white ring.

"'Asmae salati , alalihat alzarqa'. 'Asmae salati , alalihat alzarqa'. Grant my wish within this bleak universe and bring about this black soul's recovery!" She chanted. The white ring illuminated along with the crimson gem, their combined glow reflected off the magic user's dark blue eyes. A large golden magic circle surrounded the two with heavenly light, this glow encompassed Coldsteel's body until he was nothing but a figure heralded by the illumination. Quickly did the ethereal light vanish, and with it dissipated the glowing chrysalis that held the embodiment of edge. The magic user gazed upon Coldsteel's fully healed body, as the purple hedgehog opened his hellish eyes.

"Huh?" He groaned upon his abrupt awakening, a fog of perplexity hazed his memories as he attempted to stand with his groggy body. "Wh...what happened?" He asked. The solar rays of the sun eclipses the midnight darkness of the forest, allowing Coldsteel to gaze upon his savior. She was a tall hooded woman with ruby colored locks of hair that accompanied her deep blue eyes; she wore a pink hooded robe with brighter pink engravings on the sleeves, golden rings fit upon her fingers as her feet were chained within knightly armor. Coldsteel's eyes hardened upon the magician's visage. "You?" He growled.

"You were defeated, Coldsteel the Hedgehog." The magician reminded. Coldsteel's eyes widened, confusion and denial plagued his mind.

"Me? Beaten?" He gasped. The purple hedgehog then closed his eyes and crossed his arms as he scoured his thoughts and memories to see what exactly happened. In a moment, he re-opened his eyes and looked at the magician. "Yeah, now I remember. I was fighting Sissy and then...I lost... Hmm ..." He recollected.

"Do you remember what happened to Storm the Albatross and Robotic Amy?" The Magician asked. Coldsteel closed his eyes yet again, then smirked as he remembered exactly what happened.

"Storm became dead weight, so I removed him from the team. As for Robo-Amy... hmm... I don't know. She went after the echidna and never came back." He explained. Coldsteel then opened his eyes and glared at the magician. "What's it to ya?" He asked. The Magician walked past the hedgehog and kneeled down to gaze upon a ranunculus flower, it had miraculously grown within the uprooted mouth of the forest. Coldsteel intensified his glare, nothing about this magician seemed okay to him. "Hey, didn't ya hear me?" He growled. The magician picked the flower as she once again stood up straight.

"Am I right to assume that nobody in your team knows your current whereabouts?" The magician asked, not even bothering to answer the hedgehog's question. Coldsteel snarled at her.

"Hey, I don't like ya attitude Witch!" He barked. The purple hedgehog walked towards her and stretched an arm out. Before he could even touch her robe, a bright purple force field threw him back. "The hell?" He gasped.

"Good, it seems you finally have some use." The magician spoke without so much as flinching. She slowly turned around with the ranunculus held close to her nose. She looked down upon the hedgehog with cold and uncaring eyes.

"Finally? How dare you? I'll drown ya in darkness!" Coldsteel growled in defiance. He looked into the magician's eyes and unleashed his dark aura. Without changing her expression, the magician held her staff forward so that the crimson gem pointed directly at the purple hedgehog.

"Since you love darkness so much, then you shouldn't mind becoming one with it." The magician claimed. A black shadowy fog slowly poured out of the gem and attached itself to Coldsteel's body.

"Wha... what are you?" He panicked, his pupils shrank as the shadows climbed over his joints and grew like a virus, wrapping it's ever-increasing mass over the hedgehog's body. Coldsteel tried to struggle himself free but the shadows stuck to his body like glue. Soon the shadows reached the hedgehog's face, he looked to the sky as his crimson eyes slowly turned green. With the last ounce of rebellion left within his body, Coldsteel bellowed an ungodly cry, one that was echoed by a much deeper voice. Crows flew out of their homes in a panic as the hedgehog's cry reached the entirety of the forest. Eventually, his voice reached the sharp ears of a reddish orange fox wearing a vest made of black scales and a blue diamond tiara. Her bright blood orange eyes shifted in the direction of the scattered crows.

"What was that?" She asked.

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: This is a story I’m writing while I’m in college so updates may take a while. I aim for one chapter per month but that also may be unrealistic. Regardless, I hope you enjoy the story and don’t be afraid to comment your opinion. I value any and all feedback I can get.


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